Lead the engineering behind a product that's changing how the world flies.
MAKO is an aerospace technology company focused on improving the efficiency of the global aviation fleet by bringing our shark-skin-inspired drag reduction product, Flightfilm, to commercial and defense aircraft. Flightfilm can deliver up to 4% efficiency gains, reducing carbon emissions by millions of tonnes every year. Founded and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, MAKO works with some of the largest airlines and aircraft manufacturers worldwide to deliver scalable, near‐term efficiency gains for aviation that bridge the gap between today's operating fleets and the next generation of aircraft technologies.
We're looking for an Aeronautical Engineering Team Lead to take Flightfilm's design and development to the next level. You'll own complex engineering programs from planning through execution and evaluation, and lead the team that makes it happen.
Reporting to our Head of Product Engineering, you'll work hand in hand with our Certification, Materials, Verification & Validation, Manufacturing, and Quality teams. Together you'll make sure we are building the best product possible. This is a rare chance to put your engineering leadership into something with real, measurable climate impact.
What you'll do
Lead and grow a world-class engineering team that designs and develops Flightfilm
Own the aerodynamic design and development strategy end to end. That covers Flightfilm itself, from the riblet microstructures down to the layout design and how the film is laid out on aircraft and installed
Keep the team pointed in the right direction, so its work aligns with MAKO's technical goals, certification roadmap, and business priorities
Set the standards for how we design.



That includes processes and documentation across systems and requirements engineering, risk management, product architecture, and configuration control
Keep raising the bar. You'll find ways to improve how we work and bring best practice to simulation, design, testing and evaluation
Grow the people around you. You'll mentor engineers and strengthen the team's skills in simulation, design, and evidence-based decision-making
Your first month
Get under the hood of Flightfilm. Learn our product architecture, how our materials behave, how Flightfilm is installed and removed, and where each of our current design programs stand
Review how we work today, including our design and simulation procedures, documentation, reports, risk registers, and evaluation methods
Build strong working relationships with our Certification, Materials, Verification & Validation, and Manufacturing teams
Your first six months
Lead the team through the key design programs that will take MAKO's first product to certification and regulatory approval
Sharpen how we design. That means improving our simulation and design methods, systems engineering processes, templates, and risk-based planning
Bring more confidence, efficiency and clarity to how we run and report on testing
Your first year
Grow your team's capability, with development plans that target the skills we need most
Set MAKO-wide best practice for aero design, systems engineering, simulation, and risk management




Shape MAKO's longer‐term aeronautical design and development strategy
About you
Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering or similar
Track record leading cross‐disciplinary teams in highly technical, highly regulated fields such as aerospace, medical or automotive
Demonstrated experience designing and leading complex product design & development programs
Strong understanding of fluid mechanics principles and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Thrive in a quick‐moving, ambiguous and constantly evolving startup environment
You enjoy mentoring junior and senior engineers and leading them to make evidence based technical decisions with confidence and clarity
Why you should join MAKO
Impact:
Aviation is one of the hardest to abate industries, and its share of global emissions is only growing. Join our mission to improve the efficiency of the global fleet and save millions of tonnes of CO2 every year
Technology:
Our technology leverages the drag‐reducing properties of shark skin to make aircraft more efficient. You'll be exposed to expertise and developments in materials, photolithography, fluid dynamics, and scale manufacturing
Team:
Our team focuses on achieving our mission. We live our values of lift over drag, active transparency, and changing the boundary conditions, and we welcome new team members who want to do the same
Corporate Jet:
We have (most of) a corporate jet. It won't fly, but it sure does look cool
MAKO is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from every background. Careers rarely fly a direct route, so if you're close but not a perfect match, apply and tell us why.
#J-*****-Ljbffr

📌 Aeronautical Engineering Team Lead (Sydney)
🏢 Mako
📍 Sydney