Composites Design Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in Huntington Beach, California, United States

Salary: $105,000–$140,000 for Engineer level; $140,000–$180,000 for Senior level, plus equity

Company

hirify.global is a rapidly growing defense technology startup developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms and scalable, decentralized systems.

What you will do

• Design and develop lightweight composite airframe structures for unmanned aerial vehicles from concept through flight testing.
• Own composite components across laminate design, structural analysis, fabrication support, and validation testing.
• Perform hand calculations and FEA to evaluate stiffness, strength, stability, and failure modes.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and test teams to translate designs into buildable hardware and validate performance.
• Participate in hands-on fabrication, integration, structural test planning, and execution.
• Develop laminate architectures, joints, and structural concepts optimized for repeatable, high-volume production.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience designing and/or building composite structures.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related field.
• Proficiency with NX or similar CAD tools and FEA software such as ANSYS.
• Experience with laminate design and composite structural analysis using classical lamination theory and/or FEA.
• Hands-on experience with prepreg layup, vacuum bagging, infusion, bonded assemblies, and prototype fabrication.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States; the role may involve access to ITAR- and EAR-controlled information and may require authorization without export-license sponsorship.

Nice to have

• Experience with aerospace or UAV composite structures.
• Experience with autoclave and out-of-autoclave composites, RTM, filament winding, press molding, AFP, or ATL.
• Knowledge of manufacturing-driven design constraints, NDI methods, Fibersim, and composite failure modes.
• Experience supporting structural testing, analysis correlation, trimming, bonding, and composite repair in a lab or shop environment.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive, transparent compensation with performance-based incentives and equity participation.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings, and paid time off.
• Funding for continuing education, training, and professional development.
• Opportunity to work on defense platforms focused on national security and advanced manufacturing.