Structural Engineer UAV H/F

About This Opportunity

We are representing a confidential aerospace organization based in Toulouse that is scaling rapidly in the defense sector. Our client is seeking a Structural Engineer to join their UAV development team and take ownership of airframe structural design, analysis, and optimization.

This is a hands-on role where you'll design composite structures for high-performance unmanned platforms, balance weight against strength requirements, and collaborate across aerodynamics, propulsion, and manufacturing teams to deliver flight-ready systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and analyze primary and secondary composite structures for interceptor airframes, including fuselage, wings, control surfaces, and internal load-bearing components
• Perform structural and stress analysis using hand calculations and finite element analysis (FEA) to validate margins under static, dynamic, and high-acceleration loads
• Define load paths, free-body diagrams, and failure modes for all major structural elements
• Own composite laminate design, layup schedules, and bonding/joining strategies for carbon fiber structures
• Optimize structural weight while maintaining strength, balancing mass, center of gravity, and vibration constraints against flight performance targets
• Support structural, vibration, shock, and environmental qualification testing of airframe components and subassemblies
• Analyze test and flight data to identify failure modes including fatigue, fracture, CG shifts, and vibration-induced damage
• Work directly with manufacturing partners to ensure designs are manufacturable, repeatable, and cost-effective at scale
• Engage hands-on with composite fabrication processes to understand how parts are built in practice
• Support transition from prototype to serial production and participate in rapid structural repairs during flight test campaigns

What We're Looking For

• 3+ years' experience in aerospace or aircraft structural engineering, ideally including UAV/drone platforms
• Demonstrated experience analyzing and sizing airframe structures for aerodynamic, maneuver, propulsion, and inertial loads
• Proficiency in finite element analysis (FEA) for static strength, stiffness, buckling, and vibration modeling
• Strong CAD capability (CATIA, SolidWorks, Autodesk, or comparable tools) with ability to support detailed design and internal component integration
• Experience designing lightweight carbon-fiber composite structures, including laminate design and sandwich panels
• Knowledge of composite manufacturing methods and processes
• Experience designing parts for polymer 3D printed components with understanding of print orientation and load paths
• Ability to perform hand calculations and correlate analytical results with FEA and structural test data
• Strong communication and multidisciplinary collaboration skills
• Familiarity with UAV-specific integration challenges (payloads, batteries, avionics, propulsion mounting, field repairability) is a strong advantage
• Experience with aeroelasticity analysis, including flutter, divergence, structural deflection, and vibration assessment is a strong advantage

How We Work With You

Candidates apply directly through Get A Job.ai. Our talent team will screen your application and arrange an initial conversation to understand your background and technical capabilities. If there's a strong match, we will submit your profile to our client for consideration. Please do not contact the client organization directly—all communication should flow through our recruitment team to ensure a professional and coordinated process.

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed during the screening process based on experience and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity: Get A Job.ai is committed to inclusive hiring practices. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and work to ensure fair consideration throughout our recruitment process.