Job Description

Some engineers build aircraft...

Others make them unstoppable.

This team sits firmly in the second camp - designing the structural backbone of next-generation UAVs built for speed, resilience, and real-world performance.

We’re looking for a Senior Aerospace Structural Engineer who’s taken designs from concept to flight - someone who knows every gram saved is a story of trade-offs, equations, and ingenuity.

Here, you’ll lead the design and analysis of composite, metallic, and additive-manufactured structures, balancing lightweight design with durability and certification demands. You’ll own the full lifecycle - simulation, testing, validation, and production - and collaborate closely with aerodynamicists, propulsion specialists, and flight test engineers to bring advanced UAV systems to life.

If you love turning elegant theory into aircraft that can take a hit and keep flying, this is the kind of work that will get you out of bed in the morning.

What you’ll do

• Lead design and FEA analysis for advanced airframe structures

• Apply topology optimisation for lightweight, certifiable designs

• Define and oversee structural testing campaigns

• Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to ensure structural integrity through concept, build, and flight test

• Mentor junior engineers and shape the direction of future UAV platforms

What you’ll bring

• 10+ years in structural design and analysis across composite, metallic or additive-manufactured components

• Proficiency with FEA tools such as ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran, or HyperMesh

• Deep understanding of lightweighting, fatigue, and airworthiness standards

• Strong problem-solving instincts and a bias for getting things built

• Australian citizenship (required for Defence projects)

Why join

Because here, you’re not just signing off on drawings - you’re shaping the aircraft itself.

You’ll get:

• Real ownership of your designs, end to end

• A stake in the company through ESOP (they’re privately funded and moving fast)

• Rapid prototyping, flight testing, and the satisfaction of seeing your work take to the sky

• Career growth in a team that’s scaling quickly and values engineering excellence over bureaucracy

Reach out to Thaís on thais@theonset.com.au to find out more.