Mechanical Engineer

Fotokite builds autonomous, actively tethered drones that give firefighters, police and other first responders an aerial view of an incident at the push of a button. More than 1,000 systems are in service worldwide. Our goal now is to make every next generation more robust, easier to build, and cheaper to produce, while it keeps working in rain, snow, wind and on the roof of a moving vehicle.

We are looking for a mechanical engineer with hands-on product experience who wants to grow on real hardware. You will design, build and test parts and subsystems that go into production and out into the field.

As part of our engineering team in Zurich, you will work across the Fotokite system: the kite, the tether, and the ground station it launches from, including our vehicle-mounted Rooftop Box and Transport Case.

Your daily mission:

• Design and improve parts and subassemblies for the kite, tether and ground station, from first sketch to released drawing
• Build prototypes in the workshop, assemble them and find out what breaks
• Run calculations and simulations to check strength, stiffness and fits before parts are ordered
• Write and run test protocols for your subsystems and report the results
• Create production drawings and part specifications to source custom and off-the-shelf parts, and work with suppliers to get them made on time
• Present your designs in design reviews and give feedback on your colleagues' work
• Support production with documentation updates, hands-on troubleshooting and help track down issues from the line or the field
• Work with electronics, firmware and test engineers to solve problems that cross disciplines
• Support the integration of new payloads and features with external partners

What you bring to the team:

• Master's or Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a related field
• 2+ years of mechanical design experience in product development
• A firm grasp of engineering fundamentals: statics, strength of materials, machine elements
• Working knowledge of manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, sheet metal and injection molding
• SolidWorks (or equivalent) and a working knowledge of GD&T
• Hands-on skills: you are at home in a workshop and with a 3D printer
• Initiative: you take ownership of your tasks and actively look for ways to contribute
• Fluent English

Nice-to-have

• Experience with drones, robotics or other weight-critical products
• FEA tools
• Carbon fiber composite design
• Mechanism design
• Experience with PLM tools and engineering change processes