Our V2 aircraft carries 30 lbs up to 500 miles, while our next-generation V3 carries 100 lbs over 1,000+ miles with 20+ hours of endurance. Both use a hybrid-electric architecture that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a plane, enabling long-range autonomous delivery without traditional runway infrastructure.
Today, Skyways aircraft operate across three continents in controlled national airspace under FAA oversight and in support of U.S. military operations. We are transitioning from prototype development to full-rate production and scaling toward large autonomous cargo fleets.
Backed by Y Combinator and a $37M AFWERX STRATFI award from the U.S. Air Force, Skyways is creating a new form of transportation to advance our civilization from Austin, Texas.
The Opportunity
This role owns critical aircraft hardware from concept through flight.
You will design, build, test, and iterate on mechanical systems that directly impact aircraft performance, manufacturability, and operational reliability. The work spans structural design, mechanisms, integration, and rapid hardware development across autonomous aircraft platforms.
You will work closely with electrical, manufacturing, flight test, and operations teams to move quickly from design concepts to flight-ready hardware. The role requires strong engineering judgment, hands-on execution, and the ability to solve difficult problems in fast-moving development environments.
The ideal candidate has experience developing complex mechanical systems for aerospace, robotics, automotive, or other high-performance hardware platforms and is comfortable owning hardware through the full product lifecycle.
What You'll Do:
Design and develop aircraft structures, mechanisms, and integrated mechanical systems
Create CAD models, drawings, and release documentation for production hardware
- Mentor junior mechanical engineers and raise the design and review bar across the team through your own example
Perform mechanical analysis, tolerance studies, and design tradeoff evaluations
Support prototype builds, aircraft integration, and flight test activities
Work closely with manufacturing teams to improve manufacturability and assembly processes
Troubleshoot hardware issues identified during build, integration, and flight operations
Collaborate across electrical, software, manufacturing, and flight teams to deliver integrated systems
Support rapid design iteration and engineering changes as aircraft systems evolve
What You'll Bring:
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
5+ years of experience designing and developing complex mechanical systems
Strong CAD experience, preferably in SolidWorks or similar tools
Experience taking hardware from concept through prototyping, testing, and production
Strong understanding of structural design, materials, and manufacturing processes
Hands-on experience with hardware integration, testing, and troubleshooting
Ability to make practical engineering tradeoffs under schedule and operational constraints
Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
Bonus Points:
Experience with aerospace, UAV, robotics, or autonomous systems
Experience designing lightweight structures or composite assemblies
Familiarity with manufacturing processes for low-volume or rapidly iterating hardware systems
Experience supporting flight test or operational hardware deployments
Experience with FEA, GD&T, or tolerance analysis
Want to join our mission? Apply to learn more!
Due to U.S. government contract requirements, this role is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or candidates from specific countries authorized under applicable export control regulations.
Skyways is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
- Experience working on complex hardware systems such as aircraft, robotics, or autonomous vehicles
- Strong CAD and mechanical design experience
- Experience taking hardware from concept through build, integration, testing, and deployment
- Comfort working closely with prototype builds and resolving integration issues
- Strong collaboration skills across engineering, manufacturing, and operations teams
Skyways Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Skyways and has not been reviewed or approved by Skyways.
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Healthcare Strength — Employee medical and dental are employer-paid with additional vision and HSA/FSA options noted; core health coverage appears strong for a hardware/robotics startup.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Stock options are offered to every employee and performance bonuses are listed; ownership upside is broadly accessible across the organization.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is described as generous, with paid holidays and generous parental leave highlighted; the breadth of leave supports work-life needs beyond baseline policies.
Skyways Insights
What We Do
We are creating a new form of transportation to advance the future of our civilization. Our story starts with fully autonomous, unmanned aerial vehicles with vertical take-off and landing capability and used for cargo transportation.
Why Work With Us
We are creating a new form of transportation to advance the future of our civilization. Skyways is building fully autonomous cargo aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capability to transform how goods move. Join a small, ambitious team solving hard aerospace and autonomy problems with real world impact.
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