The client is building next-generation ultra-lightweight delivery drones and needs a technically strong R&D leader who can:
Own multidisciplinary sub-projects (mechanical, electrical, systems, controls)
Improve aircraft performance metrics (payload-to-weight ratio, reliability, efficiency)
Drive structured experimentation and testing cycles
Take concepts from ideation → prototype → validation → deployment
Mentor and scale a small but high-performance R&D team
This is a hands-on technical leadership role, not a research-only or academic R&D position.
Lead end-to-end R&D sub-projects for UAV system improvements
Define technical scope, success metrics, and validation frameworks
Decompose system-level problems into mechanical, electrical, software components
Own prototype development and testing cycles
Establish performance benchmarks and lifecycle testing protocols
Drive design reviews and failure analysis
Optimize structural weight, efficiency, and reliability
Coordinate across composites, avionics, controls, and systems teams
Mentor engineers and build scalable R&D workflows
Maintain documentation and engineering rigor
Mechanical Design (lightweight structures, mechanisms, CAD optimization)
Electrical Systems (embedded systems, power systems, avionics)
Controls Systems (flight control algorithms, system stability)
Systems Engineering (integration, validation, testing)
Materials Engineering (composites, lightweight structures)
Multidisciplinary systems integration
Prototype development and validation
Failure mode analysis (FMEA)
Reliability engineering
Design for manufacturability (DFM)
Test plan development and lifecycle validation
Aircraft structural optimization
UAV/Drone systems design
Payload-to-weight optimization
Aerodynamic efficiency considerations
Environmental testing (thermal, vibration, endurance)
CAD tools (SolidWorks / CATIA / Fusion / NX etc.)
Simulation tools (ANSYS / MATLAB / Simulink / CFD tools)
Embedded systems exposure (if relevant domain)
Structured R&D experimentation frameworks
Data-driven design iteration