--- title: 'Mechanical Engineer at Poseidon Aerospace' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-pr6p7816nv70' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Mechanical 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/c8197512-bb19-4a2c-bfce-a540bcf54b26 ## 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. We encourage candidates without at least a year of full-time, post graduation work experience to apply to our Mechanical Engineer (New Graduate) job posting As a Mechanical Engineer at Poseidon Aerospace, you will design the structural and mechanical systems that make our composite aircraft functional and manufacturable. You will work across CAD design, mechanism development, and finite element analysis to create reliable, lightweight structures suited for flight and marine environments. This role is both analytical and hands-on, involving close collaboration with manufacturing, aerodynamics, and test teams to bring designs from concept to flight hardware. Responsibilities: - Design and develop aircraft structures, mechanisms, and tooling using CAD software - Perform FEA to validate strength, stiffness, and load paths in composite and metallic components - Create detailed part/assembly drawings and documentation for manufacturing and inspection - Design linkages, control surface mechanisms, and mounting systems for aircraft subsystems - Collaborate with manufacturing engineers to ensure designs are practical, cost-effective, and easy to assemble - Support testing and validation of structural and mechanical systems, including fixture and rig design - Maintain CAD libraries, revision control, and configuration management for aircraft assemblies - Provide design feedback to improve manufacturability, maintainability, and structural efficiency Ideal Qualifications: - Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field - Proficiency with CAD software such as Fusion,, SolidWorks, CATIA, or NX - Strong understanding of structural design, stress analysis, and mechanical systems - Experience with FEA tools such as ANSYS, Fusion Simulation, Nastran, or similar - Ability to apply GD&T and mechanical tolerancing to production drawings - Familiarity with composite and metallic fabrication methods - Understanding of fundamentals of flight mechanics and aircraft dynamics - Comfortable working hands-on with prototypes, test articles, and shop tools - Capable of managing projects independently in a fast-paced, startup environment Nice to Have: - Experience with bonded composite structures or hybrid assemblies - Background in actuation systems, linkages, or motion mechanisms - Knowledge of vibration, fatigue, or modal analysis - Hands-on experience with machining, additive manufacturing, or assembly tooling - Familiarity with design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) - Proficiency in MATLAB or Python for analysis and process automation - Exposure to aerospace certification or flight test environments ## 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 - [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 - [GNC Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/gnc-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-3rfbvjesjenj) — Alameda