Airworthiness engineer - Internship

About HyLight:

HyLight’s mission is to help society become more resilient to climate change by improving the observation and inspection of infrastructure.

We build HyLighters, airships that collect data across vast distances with zero emissions.

Our activities include:

• Detecting methane leaks from gas infrastructures (4% of global GHG emissions)

• Inspecting power lines to prevent outages and wildfires

By 2030, we aim to become the global leader in aerial monitoring.

In just 3 years, we have pushed the realm of possibilities: as we have:

• Developed 8 iterations of the HyLighter

• Logged over 200 flight hours

• Secured our first inspection contracts with Europe’s largest infrastructure operators

• Joined the world’s top startup accelerator, Y Combinator

• Raised €6 millions

HyLight is aiming for a diverse and included team, if your profile doesn't fit all the description but you can bring a diverse point of view, push it forward, it will be highly appreciated.
We’re well-funded and backed by top investors, providing the resources you wish you had when building your own business. We don’t care about traditional roles or titles—just that you’re smart, proactive, and bring the same founder-level ownership and drive to help us build something massive.

Job Summary:

This is a 4 to 6-month hands-on internship at the intersection of systems engineering, field operations, and test validation. You will support the test and verification of the HyLighter, contributing to both technical documentation and real-world operational readiness. Working alongside our engineering and flight teams, you’ll help validate subassemblies, full systems, and participate in flight campaigns. This internship is ideal for a resourceful, organized profile eager to bridge engineering and field deployment in a high-impact climate tech project.

The Mission:

Under the guidance of our CTO and in collaboration with embedded, electronics, and systems engineers, your responsibilities will include:

• Contribute to the design and organization of test plans and procedures for component tests, system integration tests, and flight tests.

• Participating in test execution, with a strong focus on traceability and quality

• Support our operations during flight campaigns, including flight preparation, monitoring, data collection, and reporting.

• Participating in the elaboration of the Unmanned Aircraft System Maintenance Manual (UMM) and Flight Manual (UFM), focusing on the technical definition and accuracy of operational and maintenance procedures.

• Contributing to internal compliance references and system integration documentation to maintain a robust airworthiness framework.

Profile Sought:

Education: Master-level engineering student (or equivalent) in aeronautical engineering, aerospace systems, mechanical or electrical engineering, or a generalist with a strong interest in airworthiness and certification.

The following list of skills is exhaustive, while you may not perfectly fit with the profile, we highly value personal growth and development. We see our interns as potential future team leads at HyLight.

Technical Skills:

This is an exhaustive list of sought after skills, if you have

• Solid understanding of aerospace systems and physical principles (structures, avionics, propulsion, or embedded systems).

• Awareness of airworthiness fundamentals (EASA regulations, system compliance, safety assessments).

• Basic knowledge in electronics (reading schematics, using test tools)

• Basic knowledge in mechanics (interfaces, assemblies, basic loads)

• Ability to structure and execute test plans, write test documentation

• Interest in flight operations and the logic of system validation

• Good command of Excel, Word, and optionally Python or other data tools

Soft Skills:

• Highly organized and detail-oriented in documentation and execution

• Enjoys hands-on work (prototyping, setup, field testing)

• Willingness to be present on-site and support operational teams during test and flight activities

• Curious, analytical, eager to learn, and proactive in problem-solving

• Good communication skills and collaborative mindset

Languages:

French (professional working proficiency), English (fluent – internal communication and documentation)

What We Offer:

• Monthly compensation: €800 for 4th-year students, €1200 for final-year/master thesis internships

• Real responsibility and mentorship with the Tech and Regulatory teams

• Potential to become a shareholder in HyLight upon hiring

• 100% reimbursement of public transport pass (Navigo) or €800/year for sustainable commuting

• Bike provided for commuting

• Free lunch

• Bi-annual offsite trips with the whole team

• Excellent work environment: international team, team events, beautiful offices on a former airbase

Why You Should Join:

• Founder Mentality: We value extreme ownership and want people who think like founders—fast decision makers, natural problem solvers, and executers.

• Ground Floor Opportunity: You’ll be helping to shape and grow a revolutionary company with the resources to back it.

• Impact & Speed: Work in a fast-paced environment where your contributions will have immediate, tangible effects on the company’s success.

Interview Process:

• Introductory phone call (20 min)

• Video interview with our CTO Josef (40 min)

• A 1 hour technical case study followed by a debrief with team members

• Reference calls

• On-site meeting with the team (1h)

Location:

• Office : Base 217, Brétigny-sur-Orge, accessible via RER C.

• Lab and Warehouse access

• You’ll work side-by-side with experts in embedded, aerospace, and hydrogen propulsion systems—where your impact matters from day one.