What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Prototype & Test Engineer position at Float?
Senior Prototype & Test Engineer
Location: Full-time On-Site (CA)
Type: Full-Time | Founding Team Opportunity
Float is an early-stage aerospace company developing advanced airship systems for large-scale cargo applications. We are focused on solving hard aerospace problems and translating ambitious concepts into real, tested hardware. Our team is small, execution-driven, and building a new airship platform from first principles.
The Role
As Senior Prototype & Test Engineer, you will be responsible for building, testing, and iterating on early hardware for Float’s airship platform. This is a deeply hands-on role for an engineer who enjoys turning designs into physical reality, pushing hardware to its limits, and feeding real-world data back into design decisions.
You will work closely with mechanical, structures, propulsion, and avionics engineers to ensure prototypes are built correctly, tested rigorously, and improved quickly.
Responsibilities
- Build and assemble prototypes and proof-of-concept hardware, including scale models and early flight-relevant components
- Design and fabricate test fixtures, rigs, and instrumentation to support subsystem and system-level testing
- Execute hands-on testing to validate structural, mechanical, and system performance
- Collect, analyze, and document test data to inform design iteration
- Identify failure modes and work with design engineers to implement improvements
- Support integration, assembly, and troubleshooting during prototype build phases
- Assist in developing test plans, validation procedures, and safety protocols
- Maintain an organized, safe, and efficient prototype and test environment
Qualifications
- Degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering field, or equivalent hands-on experience
- Strong background in prototyping, fabrication, and experimental testing
- Proven experience building and testing complex physical systems
- Comfortable working with tools, fixtures, and instrumentation in a shop or lab environment
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings and translate them into physical hardware
- Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
- Comfortable working in fast-moving, early-stage environments
Nice to Have
- Experience with aerospace, UAVs, robotics, or experimental hardware programs
- Familiarity with structural testing, instrumentation, and data acquisition
- Experience building scale models or test articles
- Prior experience at a startup or skunkworks-style engineering team
Why Join Us
This is a rare opportunity to shape the core engineering DNA of a company redefining how cargo moves across the planet. You’ll take on meaningful responsibility early, build groundbreaking vehicles, and grow alongside a world-class team pioneering the future of sustainable air mobility.