---
title: 'Composites Engineer at Poseidon Aerospace'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/composites-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-z9de3cr4ysqb'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Composites Engineer at Poseidon Aerospace

- **Company:** Poseidon Aerospace
- **Location:** Alameda
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-05
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/poseidonaero/d9703fc2-6efe-437d-a0eb-b55a49fcd7a2

## Job description

## ABOUT POSEIDON AEROSPACE:

Poseidon Aerospace is reimagining how the world moves goods. We build and operate full-size autonomous cargo aircraft - capable of carrying two tons of payload over a thousand nautical miles. From remote communities to contested logistics operations, our platforms unlock a new cost curve for air freight, making it faster, cheaper, and accessible anywhere it's needed. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with locations in Washington DC, Oregon, and Maine; we're building something consequential.

As a Composites Engineer with Poseidon Aerospace you will bridge design and fabrication for advanced aerospace structures. This hands-on position focuses on developing and supporting composite manufacturing processes, tooling, and assembly methods used to produce prototype and production airframe components. The ideal candidate possesses strong problem solving and project management skills and combines engineering fundamentals with practical, shop-floor experience. They are equally comfortable in CAD and on the production floor, supporting technicians, solving problems, and refining build methods in real time.

Responsibilities:

- Design, fabricate and procure tooling, molds, jigs, and fixtures required for fabrication and assembly.
- Develop and document manufacturing processes for composite airframe components, including layup, bonding, curing, trimming, drilling, and assembly.
- Collaborate closely with design engineering to ensure manufacturability, structural integrity, and production efficiency of composite parts and assemblies.
- Work directly with technicians on the floor to support prototype builds, troubleshoot issues, and optimize build quality and efficiency.
- Define material handling, kitting, and cure cycle parameters to ensure process consistency and compliance with specifications.
- Support prototype builds and transition new designs to production, troubleshooting issues on the shop floor.
- Develop detailed work instructions, travelers, and manufacturing documentation.
- Analyze process capability and identify opportunities for cost reduction, yield improvement, and defect prevention.
- Support non-conformance investigations and implement corrective/preventive actions.
- Interface with suppliers on composite materials, tooling, and equipment.
- Provide training, mentoring and technical guidance to production technicians on new processes or tooling.
- Maintain accurate BOM information for all airframe components and subsystems.
- Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, lean manufacturing efforts, and digital manufacturing integration.

Ideal Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, or Materials Engineering or equivalent technical experience.
- 2–5 years of hands-on composite fabrication or manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace or related industries.
- Strong working knowledge of composite materials (carbon fiber, fiberglass, epoxy systems) and associated processes (hand layup, resin infusion, RTM, bonding).
- Demonstrated experience supporting technicians and shop-floor operations.
- Ability to design and develop tooling and fixtures using CAD software
- Comfortable working with hand tools, measuring equipment, and basic shop machinery when developing or validating processes.
- Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail in a fast-paced, prototype-oriented environment.
- Strong understanding of GD&T and the ability to apply proper tolerancing to tooling designs and composite fabrication drawings.

Nice to Have:

- Familiarity with PLM/MES/ERP systems to help track product lifecycle management and manufacturing processes.
- Experience planning and enforcing project management timelines for complex, multifaceted projects.
- Experience establishing/maintaining revision control and change management processes.
- Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles, 5S and process optimization methods.
- Experience with CAM tools for fabricating tooling or integrating with manufacturing process documentation.
- Regulatory Awareness: Familiarity with FAA or DoD requirements for composite structures.

## WHAT YOU GET FROM US

- Competitive salary and meaningful early-stage equity
- Relocation support if applicable
- Employee Health Benefit Plans
- 6% Retirement matching
- Flexible PTO
- Free lunches, snacks, and a stocked fridge at our offices
- AI tools and subscriptions

## About Poseidon Aerospace

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Poseidon Aerospace is reimagining logistics with autonomous aircraft built to move goods faster, cheaper, and anywhere they are needed, fundamentally changing the cost curve for air freight.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Startup)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: Not publicly available
- **Founders**: David Zagaynov (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Aerospace, Aviation, and Defense Logistics
- **Target customers**: Government/Defense (military logistics), Commercial logistics providers, and Enterprise supply chains
- **Mission**: To make air logistics as affordable and flexible as possible by driving the cost per ton-mile down to levels never before achieved in aviation, building the unmanned backbone of tomorrow's logistics.

## Products & Services
- **Seagull (Unmanned Cargo Aircraft)**: An autonomous, unmanned cargo drone designed to lift two tons. The aircraft is a seaplane, requiring no airports or runways—only water—to operate. This unlocks millions of miles of navigable waterways for logistics. The platform is built from the ground up as a clean-sheet design, leveraging composites and advanced manufacturing.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available
- **Total Funding**: $12.4 million USD
- **Funding Rounds**:
    - Pre-Seed: Led by Starship Ventures (1 investor)
    - Seed (2025-01-01): $1.4M from 2 investors
    - Seed (2025-11-01): $11.0M from 7 investors, led by Tamarack Global
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Tamarack Global (Lead), Starship Ventures, Sean Hoge (Lead Investor)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew +366.7% year-over-year to 20 employees; actively hiring for high-impact roles; secured a partnership with Northeastern’s Roux Institute and their National Security Innovation Hub to expand presence in Maine; FY2026 NDAA includes a provision for a pilot program for contracted amphibious aircraft, validating the market.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Seaplane Design**: The aircraft requires no airports or runways, only water, unlocking millions of miles of navigable waterways and making logistics possible in remote, contested, or infrastructure-poor regions.
- **Cost Curve Disruption**: By driving down the cost per flight-ton-mile, Poseidon aims to make air cargo as affordable as ground or maritime transport, a fundamental shift in logistics economics.
- **Defense & Government Focus**: The company is strategically aligned with U.S. national security priorities, specifically "contested logistics" as highlighted by the Department of Defense, giving it a clear and funded customer base.
- **Speed & Agility**: As a small, focused team (20 employees), the company claims to move with immense speed, building clean-sheet autonomous planes from scratch using advanced composites and manufacturing techniques.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling the Team**: Actively hiring across engineering, operations, and government relations to support rapid growth (headcount up +366.7% YoY).
- **Government & Defense Contracts**: Winning contracts is a core focus, with a dedicated Proposal Lead role and a Director of Government Relations position. The company is positioning itself to be a key player in the U.S. military's "contested logistics" strategy.
- **Expanding Manufacturing & Presence**: Partnering with Northeastern’s Roux Institute in Maine to build a presence in a region with a deep aerospace heritage and access to a national security innovation hub.
- **Product Development**: Building and iterating on the "Seagull" unmanned cargo aircraft, with a focus on composites and clean-sheet design.

## Why Work Here
- **High-Impact, Early-Stage Environment**: The company has grown from 4 to 20 people in a short period, offering the chance to build foundational systems and processes from the ground up.
- **Cutting-Edge Technology**: Work on clean-sheet autonomous aircraft, advanced composites, and manufacturing engineering in a fast-paced, iterative environment.
- **Mission-Driven**: The work directly impacts national security and global logistics, with a clear, compelling mission to make air cargo as affordable as ground transport.
- **Culture & Perks**: On-site work in San Francisco, CA. The company emphasizes a "punch above its weight" culture with a focus on engineering excellence and speed. Active hiring for high-impact roles across engineering, operations, and government relations.
- **Recent Growth**: The team has grown from 4 to 20 people in a short period, offering significant ownership and career growth opportunities for early employees.

## Sources
1. [poseidonaero.com](https://www.poseidonaero.com/)
2. [LinkedIn - Poseidon Aerospace](https://www.linkedin.com/company/poseidon-aerospace)
3. [Built In - Poseidon Aerospace](https://builtin.com/company/poseidon-aerospace)
4. [Ashby - Poseidon Aerospace Jobs](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/poseidonaero)

## Other roles at Poseidon Aerospace

- [Senior Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-recruiter-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-8n3y3p2ks94f) — Alameda
- [Propulsion Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/propulsion-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-j764pv1hrkqc) — Alameda
- [Proposal Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/proposal-lead-poseidon-aerospace-washington-fy2rdhdr2w3v) — Washington, DC
- [Pilot](https://feeny.ai/job/pilot-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-7r9ygx47zmpp) — Alameda
- [Operations Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/operations-associate-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-b79xt48vnsjy) — Alameda
- [Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-pr6p7816nv70) — Alameda
- [Manufacturing Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-5gqg860wyvxs) — Alameda
- [Maine Composites Bridge](https://feeny.ai/job/maine-composites-bridge-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-dpk4eetefz67) — Alameda
- [Lead Mechanical Engineer, Airframe](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-mechanical-engineer-airframe-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-cmzp9ptrpq8q) — Alameda
- [Head of Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-finance-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-t4js5ys7mnfg) — Alameda