Aircraft Engineering Technician III

Required Skills & Experience

• High School Diploma, GED, or Technical School certification.
• 2-5+ years of hands-on technical experience supporting aircraft, aerospace, electronics, composites, fabrication, or electromechanical systems.
• Experience with hands-on aircraft integration, component installation, harness routing, and troubleshooting.
• Strong electromechanical aptitude with the ability to diagnose and resolve hardware issues.

Job Description

A lead defense contractor is looking to hire an Aerospace Engineering Development Tech III. This Tech will be reporting onsite to their Petaluma, CA reflecting their 9/80 schedule. This is due to continued growth, he/she will be supporting the development, integration, modification, and testing of advanced unmanned aircraft systems. This hands-on role will work closely with engineering teams to integrate new hardware onto aircraft platforms, support new product introduction (NPI) efforts, troubleshoot system issues, and assist with prototype and production builds. The ideal candidate has a strong electromechanical background, experience working on aircraft systems, and enjoys working in a fast-paced environment where requirements can be ambiguous and schedules can be aggressive. This position will be in support of their Group 3 VTOL fixed wing UAS. This role offers the opportunity to work directly with aircraft, hardware, sensors, and mission systems throughout the development lifecycle. This role will be paying between $56-85k yearly depending on years of experience.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support integration of new hardware, sensors, payloads, and subsystems and other unmanned aircraft platforms.
• Perform aircraft modifications, component installations, harness routing, and equipment placement activities.
• Troubleshoot electrical, mechanical, and integrated system issues during development and testing.
• Support NPI (New Product Introduction) programs from prototype through production readiness.
• Design, execute, and document engineering-level tests for components and subsystems.
• Conduct mechanical, electrical, composite, and systems fabrication, repair, and testing activities.
• Instrument aircraft and test articles for data collection and validation testing.
• Build and support low-volume prototype assemblies and development hardware.
• Operate and maintain engineering shop equipment including hand tools, power tools, soldering equipment, machine tools, and 3D printers.
• Participate in project meetings and provide updates on hardware status, testing progress, and integration activities.
• Document build procedures, test results, and engineering processes to support knowledge transfer and production readiness.