Full-Time

Materials & Process Engineer

Posted on 7/19/2025

Swarm Aero

Swarm Aero

51-200 employees

Mobilizes autonomous swarms for defense operations

Compensation Overview

$135k - $185k/yr

+ Equity

Oxnard, CA, USA

In Person

US Top Secret Clearance Required

Category
Mechanical Engineering (1)
Requirements
  • Graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or gained equivalent experience
  • Spent 7+ years working in a production environment building structures
  • Generated materials properties data for composite systems
  • Gained hands-on experience working with both composite and aluminum structures
Responsibilities
  • Research, test, and select appropriate material systems and processes for volume production of a large UAS
  • Validate material properties through simulation and testing
  • Design processes for structural component build and full-scale assembly
  • Validate production processes through simulation and test
  • Support the structures design team in design for manufacturability
Desired Qualifications
  • 10+ years in a production environment building aero structures
  • Experience in creating or managing high-volume production build environments
  • Experience working in a startup environment

Swarm Aero provides defense-focused solutions that help small military teams mobilize thousands of unmanned vehicles in contested environments. It works by using autonomous, uncrewed systems that can be deployed and coordinated for complex missions, supported by a skilled labor force and partnerships that win defense contracts. The company differentiates itself through its ability to mobilize large numbers of autonomous assets, its strategic presence in Northwest Arkansas, and its focus on serving the U.S. Armed Forces and allied nations, particularly for operations in the Pacific Theater. Its goal is to strengthen military capabilities and operational effectiveness by delivering scalable, autonomous vehicle-based solutions through defense contracting.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$43M

Headquarters

Oxnard, California

Founded

2022

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • $59M funding from a16z, Founders Fund fuels 2026 headcount doubling and team expansion.
  • Team from SpaceX, Northrop Grumman drives multimission sense-and-strike UAV innovations.
  • Northwest Arkansas talent pool supports hundreds of jobs and rapid aircraft production ramp.

What critics are saying

  • Anduril's Lattice grabs $1B+ DoD contracts, erodes Swarm's swarm market share in 6-12 months.
  • DJI supply chain tariffs cause 20-30% Arkansas cost overruns, cripple volumes in 3-6 months.
  • ITAR blocks Japan/Australia sales, slashes 40% revenue in 6-12 months.

What makes Swarm Aero unique

  • Swarm Aero builds large Group 5 UAVs with missile and EW payloads between Switchblades and F-35s.
  • Arkansas 80,000 sq ft facility produces thousands of carbon composite airframes at WWII-scale volumes.
  • DIU-selected software enables Autonomous Collaborative Teaming for scaled Pacific Theater operations.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Leave

Paid Parental Leave

Remote Work Options

Hybrid Work Options

Wellness Program

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-10%

1 year growth

-14%

2 year growth

-7%
Business Wire
Mar 11th, 2026
Swarm Aero Announces $35M Series A Financing Led by Two Sigma Ventures and Silent Ventures

Swarm Aero announces $35M Series A financing to accelerate the development and deployment of the company’s large UAV and swarm software.

Axios
Mar 11th, 2026
California's Swarm Aero raises $35M to build large missile-carrying drones

California-based Swarm Aero has raised $35 million to develop large, swarming drones capable of carrying missiles, electronic warfare payloads and cargo. The company plans to more than double its headcount by year-end. Chief executive Danny Goodman told Axios the drones occupy a middle ground in military aviation, designed to be neither expendable single-use systems like Switchblade drones nor high-cost platforms like the B-2 bomber or F-35 fighter jet. The funding will support development of the company's autonomous drone technology for military applications.

The Associated Press
Feb 18th, 2026
Swarm Aero opens 80,000 sq ft UAV manufacturing centre in Arkansas to produce thousands of aircraft

Swarm Aero has opened an 80,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, marking its expansion beyond its Oxnard, California headquarters. The facility will produce thousands of large uncrewed aerial vehicles and create hundreds of aerospace jobs over the next decade. The company, founded in 2022, develops UAV swarms paired with command and control software for military applications. CEO Danny Goodman said Swarm evaluated over 20 states before selecting Northwest Arkansas for its talent and partners. Swarm's manufacturing approach enables production at volumes not seen since World War II. The company plans to double its aircraft team in 2026 and is actively hiring. Backed by investors including Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, and a16z, Swarm has raised funding from leading venture capital firms.

PR Newswire
Feb 11th, 2026
Swarm Defense selected for $1.1B US drone programme with swarm coordination tech

Swarm Defense Technologies has been selected as one of 25 companies for the US Department of War's Drone Dominance Program, a $1.1 billion initiative to deploy attack drone systems at unprecedented scale. The programme aims to deliver 340,000 drones across four phases through January 2028, with up to 12 companies advancing to initial production contracts. The Detroit-based manufacturer, which spun out from Firefly Drone Shows in August 2024, operates an NDAA-compliant supply chain with current production capacity of 72,000 units annually, scaling to over 250,000 units. The company's proprietary swarm coordination software enables a single operator to control thousands of drones simultaneously using real-time path deconfliction algorithms. Swarm Defense will compete in the Phase I Gauntlet later this month, where military operators will evaluate drone systems across multiple mission scenarios.

Zefyron
Jan 14th, 2025
Swarm Aero, A NY-based UAV Startup, Secures Seed Funding

Swarm Aero has secured seed funding from top investors, including Coatue and Khosla Ventures, to build the world's largest UAV swarm.

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