Founding Structures Engineer, Special Projects Division

Hadrian - Manufacturing the Future

Hadrian is building autonomous factories that help aerospace and defense companies make rockets, jets, and satellites 10x faster and 2x cheaper. Our CEO, Chris Power, discusses the importance of what we're building in this video.

We are a lean but mighty team (and growing!) of people who are passionate about building critical infrastructure to support the nation and the advancement of humanity.

We've raised >$200m to achieve this vision, with multiple rounds from Lux Capital, A16Z, Founders Fund, Construct Capital, Caffeinated Capital, and more.

We use AI and Robotics to automate and scale factories that are globally cost-competitive and future-proof from the dramatic skilled labor shortage facing the Advanced Industrial Base.

Hadrian works with startups, Primes, and Tier 1/2s in all markets to cost-down, scale, or otherwise enable them to hit production rates on critical programs in Rocketry, Satellites, Shipbuilding, Commercial and Military aircraft, and other core, mission-critical industries.

The Role:

Hadrian is launching a Special Projects division focused on structural design, analysis, and manufacturing automation for Aerospace, Defense, and Maritime applications. You will work directly with the CEO and engineering leadership to develop and optimize structural components for large-scale fabrication, leveraging automation to eliminate bottlenecks in metallic structures manufacturing.

This is a foundational role where you will design, analyze, and validate large structural components in aluminum, steel, and advanced alloys, working with robotics and software engineers to automate key processes. You will help build a new manufacturing facility that automates large-format aerospace and maritime structures, ensuring rapid, scalable, and cost-effective production.

If you’re passionate about advanced structures, high-rate manufacturing, and pushing the boundaries of automation, this role is for you.

What We’re Looking For:

• Expertise in metallic structural design, analysis, and manufacturing (preferably in aerospace, shipbuilding, or defense)

• Experience in high-rate production, including scaling structures from prototype to manufacturing

• Proficiency in CAD (NX, SolidWorks, or CATIA) and structural analysis tools (FEA, Abaqus, Ansys)

• Strong understanding of metallic structures, including forming, machining, joining, and post-processing techniques

• Familiarity with automated manufacturing, AI-driven quality control, and digital twin simulation

• Hands-on experience with design for manufacturing (DFM) and geometric dimensioning & tolerancing (GD&T)

• Experience with robotic integration, automated assembly, and sensor-driven quality inspection

• Ability to collaborate across engineering disciplines, from design and manufacturing to automation and software

• Background in aerospace structures, naval architecture & marine engineering, or industrial structural engineering

Responsibilities will include:

• Design, analyze, and optimize structural components for aerospace, defense, and maritime applications, ensuring high-performance, lightweight, and manufacturable designs

• Develop and implement structural manufacturing processes to transition from prototype to high-rate production, leveraging automation where possible

• Use Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and hand calculations to validate and optimize large-scale metallic structures.

• Collaborate with automation, robotics, and manufacturing teams through structural inspection and automated fabrication

• Develop CAD models and detailed technical drawings for structural components, including

• Assess material selections, forming, joining, and machining processes to optimize cost, manufacturability, and performance

• Validate designs through physical testing, including static, fatigue, and environmental stress testing

• Support on-site manufacturing efforts for full-scale structural assemblies and troubleshoot real-world production challenges

What will set you apart:

• Experience designing large-scale metallic structures for aerospace, maritime, or defense applications

• Familiarity with high-strength alloys, including aluminum, steel, titanium, and nickel-based superalloys

• Expertise in transitioning complex structures from one-off builds to scalable, automated production

• Experience integrating robotics and software-driven