Senior Mechanical Engineer, Airframes

About Vaubren

Vaubren is a European defence technology company developing aircraft, command software, sensing and electronic warfare as one integrated system, with a person in command of every use of force. Our engineering team is based in Bulgaria, inside the European Union and NATO.

The role

You will own the mechanical design of Vaubren’s aircraft: airframe structures, mechanisms, launch interfaces and the ground equipment around them. The hard problem is the trade between weight, stiffness, cost and manufacturability, including Cobra’s printed airframe, which must be quick to make and still carry real flight loads. You will take parts from first sketch to prototype to flight test, working closely with suppliers and the test team.

What you will do

• Own the structural design of an airframe or major assembly, from load cases and layout to released drawings
• Design printed airframe parts for Cobra, choosing materials and processes that survive flight loads and repeat in production
• Design mechanisms, mounts and launch interfaces, and prove them on the bench before they fly
• Run structural, thermal and vibration analysis, and correlate it with test results
• Build and break prototypes in the workshop, then turn what failed into the next design
• Prepare drawings, tolerances and documentation that suppliers and production can build from without questions
• Integrate electronics, propulsion, the Glacis hybrid power system and harnesses into the complete aircraft with the electrical and software teams

What you bring

• Typically 6+ years in mechanical or aerospace design, with hardware you designed now flying or in service
• Strong CAD and drawing skills, with sound tolerancing and design for manufacture
• Practical knowledge of composites, machining and additive manufacturing, and when to use each
• Hand calculations and finite element analysis you can defend in a design review
• Comfort in the workshop and at the test site, with your hands on the hardware
• A degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or equivalent experience

If you meet most of these points but not all, we still encourage you to apply.

Nice to have

• Uncrewed aircraft, vertical take-off or launched airframe experience
• Additive manufacturing of structural parts, such as powder bed fusion or continuous fibre printing
• Computational fluid dynamics or aerodynamic design
• Environmental qualification such as shock, vibration and thermal testing

Working at Vaubren

• A full-time role in Bulgaria, inside the European Union and NATO
• Work across the whole system, from design review to field test
• Small teams with real ownership of their work
• Relocation discussed with each candidate
• Responsibilities, compensation and start date agreed in writing

How we hire

1. 01

   Application

   Apply for a role or send an open application. Every application is reviewed by the team that is hiring.

2. 02

   First conversation

   A call about your experience, the role and what you are looking for.

3. 03

   Technical interviews

   A discussion of your past work and a practical problem drawn from the role.

4. 04

   Meet the team

   Meet the people you would work with, in person in Bulgaria where possible.

5. 05

   Offer

   Responsibilities, compensation and start date, agreed in writing.