Principal Structures Engineer, Carlsbad, CA

✈️ Principal Structures Engineer
Southern California (On-Site)

We’re supporting a defense technology company in Southern California developing advanced aerial systems for U.S. defense programmes.

This is a role that doesn’t come up often. Full technical ownership of primary airframe structure – concept through production – on platforms that go directly into operational use. You’d be the strongest technical voice on a lean, capable, and fast-growing engineering team. The person others come to when the hard problems land, and someone who genuinely wants to bring the engineers around them up with them.

The work:

• Primary and secondary airframe structure across the full development lifecycle
• First-principles structural analysis – hand calcs, load reviews, material selection, test correlation
• Design across composites, additive, and traditional manufacturing methods
• SolidWorks, GD&T, DVP&R, and hands-on prototyping

You might come from:

• Fixed-wing structural design in aerospace or defense
• A fast-paced environment where you’ve taken hardware from concept to flight
• A background mentoring and elevating engineers around you

What makes this different:

• Genuine technical authority in a high-trust environment
• Hardware with real-world operational impact
• Flexibility on hours – firm on Southern California, on-site

US citizenship required (ITAR).

$180,000-$215,000+ | Equity | Great benefits package | Relocation package available

Interested? Apply within or email the recruiter directly:

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Kyle Gauntlett