Scaled Composites Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

First up was a 45-minute phone chat, mostly just to get acquainted, with a small technical part. This was the initial stage. A technical interview is next. I applied online and heard back in about two weeks.

I sent in my resume and then got a call from HR to schedule a phone interview. The phone interview started on time, was about 25 minutes long, and covered basic things like citizenship, if I'd work in Mojave, and the job I wanted. Then, they asked some quick technical questions about engineering stuff like composite and metallic design, material choices, and CAD software. They asked a few times if I had any questions or anything else to add and why I wanted to work at Scaled. They said I'd hear back in about 2 weeks. HR called a few days later to set up an in-person interview, which was about 5-6 weeks out, the earliest they had. HR was super helpful with directions, what to wear, and even suggested bringing examples of my work. I got there about 15 minutes early to do the visitor paperwork. The interview started after that. I met with three different Scaled engineers one-on-one, and they all seemed to know my background. They asked a lot of questions, like how I'd instrument a plane for longitudinal stability, how I'd design a flight control system for a plane I chose from their wall of cool aircraft, and how I'd lighten a specific landing gear part. They took me on a tour of a new 747 and asked about load transfers in components, why parts were designed a certain way, and what they did. Then, two of the engineers gave me a tour of most of their aircraft, including SpaceShip2, and asked some questions about parts on the plane. We grabbed lunch at the airport cafe after that. Post-lunch, I met with one of the engineers again for about 20 minutes to talk about different planes and watch videos of past Scaled flights. Finally, I met with the Chief Engineer, who seemed really interested in how the interview was going. They mentioned they'd discuss as a team where I might fit in and that I'd hear back within 2 weeks. The Chief Engineer called me the very next day with a job offer. Overall, it was a really cool experience, even though it was a bit nerve-wracking because Scaled is a dream company for me! They said the interview was tough, but the interviewers made it as comfortable as possible.

I got a phone interview about a month after I applied online. It had basic questions on engineering. Then, I had an onsite interview. It was about 3 hours long, where 3 different people each had about an hour to interview me. The questions were in depth and detailed, and some were surprising. Midway through, we had lunch and I got a tour of the facilities. Then, there was a background check.