Mechanical Engineer | Deployable Radiators

The role

You will be the responsible engineer for large deployable radiators that reject heat from an on-orbit compute payload. You will own the structural design, mechanism design, and thermal integration of these hardware components from concept through on-orbit deployment.

What you will do

• Own the structural design of deployable radiator panels from concept through flight.
• Perform structural analysis across the full mission profile.
• Drive design-for-manufacturing of panels and assemblies.
• Design deployment mechanisms including hinges, latches, and release devices.
• Analyze deployment kinematics, mechanism loads, and reliability.
• Integrate radiator panels with the liquid cooling loop and perform thermal design.
• Design, build, and operate ground testbeds and dev rigs.
• Develop and execute deployment, structural, vibration, and thermal-vacuum test programs.
• Author and maintain drawings, analysis reports, and test procedures.
• Diagnose and resolve structural, mechanism, and thermal anomalies during integration and test.

Required qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
• 3+ years of experience designing and analyzing lightweight structures and mechanical hardware in aerospace or other high-performance environments
• Strong structural fundamentals: strength, stiffness, and buckling lightweight structures, and bonded and mechanically fastened joints
• Hands-on experience designing mechanisms such as hinges, latches, springs, and release devices or large structural assemblies
• Proficiency with FEA for static, modal, and dynamic analysis of structures
• Experience taking hardware from concept through build and test, with hands-on integration and test experience
• Proficiency with CAD (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, or similar)
• Experience working in fast-paced, hardware-focused development environments

Nice to have

• Direct experience designing deployable structures—radiators, solar array substrates, antennas, or booms
• Experience designing for space environments (thermal, vibration, vacuum)
• Experience with bonded and welded assemblies and sheet-metal or machined-frame fabrication
• Airframe or launch-vehicle primary-structure experience
• Familiarity with radiator or thermal-control design and thermal-fluid coupling
• Knowledge of aerospace standards (MIL-SPEC, NASA-STD, ECSS)
• Hands-on experience with prototyping, machining, deployment test rigs, or gravity-offload testing
• Startup or early-stage hardware experience

Benefits

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and eligible dependents
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance if applicable
• Daily lunch in the office
• Fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

Before you apply

• Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Departmen

About the company

Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. The company is based in San Carlos, CA.