Mechanical & Thermal Engineer [Propulsion]

Department: Engineering

Location: Long Beach CA

Employment Type: FullTime

About Odys

Our mission at Odys is simple - we build safe, sustainable aircraft to cut travel time in half on the world's busiest corridors. Our flagship aircraft Alta enables travelers to skip the big-airport hassle by using city helipads and local airports to connect cities less than 1,000 miles apart (approx 40% of flights). And on average cut CO2 by 76% on tens of billions of flight miles globally.

To get there, we start with our UAV called Laila for commercial logistics, medical transport, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and defense missions. We’re deploying aircraft with launch partners (Fiji Airways, Honeywell, Aramex, US Navy) beginning in late 2025 and already have firm orders for aircraft under contract.

We’re a team of expert engineers from deep tech and aerospace that focus on fast iterations loops (completed transition flight faster than our peers) combined with mastery of the aircraft certification process. Previously, our team developed custom drones, brought multiple automotive platforms into production, and electrified transportation vehicles that magnetically levitate, that roll, that fly. Together, we’ve been learning, developing, building, testing, and preparing for this challenge our entire lives.

About The Role

Odys Aviation is seeking a junior–mid level Mechanical & Thermal Design Engineer to join our Propulsion Team. In this role, you will design, analyze, and integrate mechanical and thermal systems that support high-power hybrid-electric propulsion, including motors, generators, inverters, turbines and their supporting structures and cooling systems.

You’ll work closely with electrical, manufacturing, test, and flight teams to take hardware from early concept through prototype build, test, and iteration. This is a hands-on role with meaningful ownership and a strong growth path as our propulsion systems mature and move toward production.

Don't meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Odys, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.

What You’ll Do

• Own the mechanical design, thermal analysis and integration of propulsion components and subsystems

• Resolve design, fit, thermal and integration issues discovered during prototype and early production builds, driving root cause analysis and corrective design actions

• Create and maintain 3D CAD models and 2D drawings, including GD&T and tolerance stackups

• Perform thermal analysis using hand calculations, FEA, and test correlation to guide design decisions

• Define and implement thermal management strategies for motors, inverters, and power electronics (air and/or liquid cooling, heat sinks, TIMs, enclosures, insulation)

• Perform DFM/DFA trade studies, balancing weight, cost, thermal performance, reliability, and manufacturability

• Work with suppliers and internal manufacturing partners to assess feasibility, fabrication methods, tolerances, and rapidly resolve build issues

• Provide hands on support during prototype and early production assembly, integration, and bench testing of propulsion hardware

• Support test planning, data review, design iteration, translating test results and build feedback into actional improvements

• Document designs, design changes, analyses, and test results clearly

What We’re Looking For

• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or a related field

• 1-5 years of experience in mechanical design, thermal engineering, or closely related roles (internships and project experience count)

• Experience designing mechanical hardware using CAD to manage designs (NX preferred)

• Strong foundation of thermal analysis methods (FEA, analytical modeling or CFD)

• Familiarity with GD&T and tolerance stack up analysis

• Solid understanding of common manufacturing processes

• Comfortable working on electromechanical systems; exposure to motors, power electronics, or cooling systems is a plus

• Hands on mindset with interest in building, testing and iterating hardware

• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail

• Clear communicator who works well on multidisciplinary teams

Nice to Have

• Experience with propulsion, power electronics packaging, or high-power electromechanical systems

• Exposure to liquid cooling systems or forced-air thermal design

• Hands-on experience building or troubleshooting hardware (projects, student teams, UAVs, robotics, racing, etc.)

• Comfort working in early, ambiguous designs with fast iteration cycles

• Familiarity with PLM tools (Teamcenter preferred)