Summer 2027 Internship/Co-Op: Mechanical Engineering

Kirkland, WA · Full-time · Onsite

About Skyband

GPS jamming and spoofing affect thousands of flights every day (GPSThreatMap.com). Skyband Systems has built the M100, a certified avionics system to overcome this threat to safety and operational reliability. The M100 fuses satellite signals from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with inertial sensing to give pilots a trusted position source that doesn't depend on GPS.

We're a VC-backed, fast-paced team based in Kirkland, WA, made up of engineers who built and scaled Starlink Aviation at SpaceX. We design, build, test, and fly our own hardware in our own aircraft. Everyone on the team has significant ownership over product areas or problem spaces.

The Role

You'll join our mechanical team and assist in design and operational engineering scope for the M100 and subsequent products. You will work to improve M100 performance, reliability, and cost throughout its life cycle - from concept to physical aircraft installation, flight test, and fleet operation.

You will also help conceptualize and design the next generation of Skyband products. Your products will integrate into a wide variety of airframes, enabling wireless connections to satellites, data bus connections to aircraft, and IP networking to store and analyze data. You will design the future of pilot-focused navigation equipment, and stand up the production line to build it.

What You'll Do

• Help design the future of aviation PNT with new Skyband products
• Build, test, and refine production M100 avionics assemblies
• Design and build test fixtures and automated test setups for development and production
• Support environmental and EMI/EMC qualification testing to DO-160: planning, execution, and data review
• Build and expand production equipment and tooling
• Support aircraft integration and flight test, including installation and mounting, harnessing, instrumentation, and airframe modifications

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a related field
• 3+ months of hands-on engineering experience from internships, research labs, or student project teams
• Comfortable with basic shop processes: torque and measurement tools, manual machining, adhesives, surface cleaning and finishing
• Authorized to work in the United States

Preferred Skills and Experience

• You've designed, built, and tested something yourself (such as project teams, research, or personal projects)
• CAD experience (Solidworks, Fusion, or similar)
• CAM experience is a plus (MasterCAM, HSMWorks, Fusion CAM, etc)
• Python or similar scripting experience for automation and analysis
• Finite Element Analysis experience and understanding of core principles
• Familiarity with structural and mechanical strength margins, mechanism designs
• Exposure to environmental, material, or destructive testing
• Interest in aviation, navigation, or GNSS; a pilot's license or flight test experience is a plus
• Clear written communication and the discipline to document what you did and what you found

Additional Requirements

• Full-time, onsite in Kirkland, WA for a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks beginning January 2027
• Able to lift up to 25 lbs. and work in lab and hangar environments
• Occasional travel for aircraft integration and flight test will be required

Compensation and Benefits

• $50.00/hour
• $2500 relocation bonus
• Paid holidays based on company holiday schedule
• Direct mentorship from engineers who have shipped flight hardware at scale

EEO Statement

Skyband Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer employment with Skyband is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.