Hermeus is a venture-backed defense aviation company reclaiming the lost art of rapid iterative prototyping to build the fastest aircraft in the world today. By prioritizing relentless hardware iteration, we deliver high-speed systems at the pace of the modern battlefield. We work with the Department of War to provide the high-speed capabilities our nation and its allies need to maintain a durable, asymmetric advantage.
About the Role:
We are seeking a Mid-Career Mechanical Engineer to support the design, build, and test of next-generation aircraft aerostructures, including fuselage, empennage, control surfaces, and landing gear systems. This role is hands-on and execution-oriented, with responsibility for taking hardware from concept through detailed design, fabrication support, and test validation.
Responsibilities:
Own R&D-focused structural design and development supporting vehicle subsystems such as hydraulics, fuel systems, propulsion, and avionics, with an emphasis on rapid prototyping and iteration
Perform first-principles structural and thermal analyses using hand calculations and FEA to inform early design decisions and experimental validation
Execute trade studies across mechanical, fluid, and avionics subsystems focused on performance, mass efficiency, and technical risk reduction
Design, build, and test prototype hardware, owning development from concept through fabrication, integration, and experimental validation
Collaborate closely with manufacturing and test teams to transition prototype concepts toward scalable, production-aware designs
Support hands-on integration, troubleshooting, and test campaigns to quickly iterate and mature hardware
Present technical findings in internal design reviews and contribute to cross-functional and supplier/customer technical discussions
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or physics
2+ years of experience in mechanical design, analysis, and experimental testing (internships and significant student project experience qualify), preferably in an R&D or prototype environment
Preferred Skills and Experience:
Strong hands-on experience with rapid prototyping, hardware build, and mechanical assembly of complex systems
Solid foundation in engineering fundamentals including statics, dynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and vibration
Proficiency in CAD (NX preferred), FEA (Ansys preferred), and PLM tools (Teamcenter preferred)
Experience designing and testing hardware in early development environments, with awareness of design-for-manufacturing and production considerations
Familiarity with mechanical testing under vibration, fatigue, shock, vacuum, and thermal loads
Demonstrated ability to collaborate across disciplines (fluids, avionics, manufacturing) to deliver integrated experimental systems
Proven ownership of technically complex projects from concept through test and iteration
