Key working interfaces

The Lead Airframe Design Engineer owns airframe geometry, structural arrangement and physical packaging; subsystem leads own their detailed designs. Aircraft Systems owns functional architecture, requirements, cross-system interfaces and integration into one working vehicle. Aircraft Systems Safety owns specialist safety assessments when staffed; Airworthiness owns the certification plan.

What you’ll do

• Own the vehicle functional architecture, operating modes and allocation of aircraft-level requirements to subsystem teams.
• Define and control mechanical, electrical, power, data and software interfaces across propulsion, batteries, hybrid power, avionics, flight controls, autonomy and road systems.
• Lead system trade studies and resolve competing performance, mass, power, thermal, timing and packaging constraints with the responsible specialists.
• Establish drive, flight and conversion-mode behavior, including mode transitions, interlocks and responses to degraded inputs or subsystem faults.
• Plan and lead staged integration from subsystem benches and SIL/HIL environments to the complete vehicle, with measurable entry and exit criteria.
• Troubleshoot integrated hardware/software problems, identify root causes with subsystem owners, and verify that corrective actions work at vehicle level.
• Maintain requirements traceability, interface documents, configuration baselines and verification coverage as designs and software change.
• Chair cross-functional technical reviews and coordinate integration readiness with design, manufacturing and test leads. Incorporate safety-derived constraints with the responsible safety and airworthiness specialists.
• Own and continually improve system-integration evaluation methods, measurable acceptance criteria and requirements-to-test coverage; use integration findings to strengthen repeatable verification and the evidence supporting readiness decisions.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, electrical, mechanical or systems engineering, or equivalent practical expertise demonstrated through relevant work.
• 8+ years in aircraft or complex vehicle systems engineering, including technical leadership and direct aircraft systems integration experience.
• Demonstrated ownership of aircraft-level functional architecture, requirements decomposition and allocation across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Hands-on ownership of interface definition and integration across electrical, mechanical, control and software subsystems; explain the interfaces and decisions you personally owned.
• Strong engineering depth in at least one aircraft subsystem, with experience resolving cross-system performance, power, thermal, timing or control tradeoffs.
• Experience taking physical prototype systems through bench, SIL/HIL or vehicle integration tests, diagnosing cross-system failures and closing them with measured results.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary technical reviews and maintaining controlled requirements, interface documents, configurations and verification evidence.

Preferred qualifications

Hybrid-electric propulsion, eVTOL, rotorcraft or other novel aircraft programs. Requirements tools such as Jama, DOORS or Polarion; MBSE/SysML; MATLAB/Simulink; aircraft networks and hardware/software integration. Familiarity with aircraft development assurance is useful.

AI tools and automation: Preferred: experience using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft 365 Copilot or equivalent tools for technical research, analysis, documentation or reporting. Where relevant, describe use of Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot or equivalent tools for Python/MATLAB scripts, CAD/CAE workflow automation or test-data processing. Provide a specific example, your contribution, any measured time saved or quality improvement, and how you verified the result. Equivalent tools are welcome.

We welcome transferable experience from related industries. You do not need to meet every preferred qualification. Tell us what you have delivered and how your skills apply to this role.

Location & working arrangements

Eagle Field Airport · 11100 W Eagle Ave, Firebaugh, CA 93622

Eagle Field Airport is our primary development and manufacturing location. Palo Alto area or remote arrangements may be considered for engineering work that does not require hands-on access. All current openings require availability to participate in development and flight-testing activities at Eagle Field Airport from time to time, with advance coordination. Flight-test roles require on-site availability for preparation and campaigns. Scheduling and travel arrangements will be discussed for each role.

About ASKA

At ASKA, we are on a mission to build the world’s first AI sensor fusion and digital twin system that manages autonomous driving and autonomous flying in one vehicle. We are bringing ground and air autonomy together to support the warfighter—moving critical supplies, reaching people in need, and reducing exposure in dangerous environments. Our team works across aircraft engineering, intelligent software, electric propulsion, and advanced manufacturing, with development and testing at Eagle Field Airport in California. Bring your expertise. Take ownership. Help build technology that matters.

ASKA welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and relevant experience. For questions or application accommodations, message the recruiting team.