Mechanical Engineer (Structures) - Space Solar

The role

You will own load-bearing hardware from concept through flight. This includes designing, analyzing, testing, and qualifying primary and secondary structures, mechanisms, and interfaces.

What you will do

• Own mechanical structures from concept through detailed design, analysis, fabrication, test, and flight
• Perform structural analysis using hand calculations and FEA to size hardware
• Generate detailed manufacturing and assembly drawings with proper GD&T
• Select materials, fasteners, and joining methods suited to the space environment
• Define and execute structural qualification and acceptance testing
• Correlate analytical models to test data
• Work with manufacturing to design for manufacturability and rate
• Integrate structures with thermal, avionics, propulsion, and controls teams
• Drive mass optimization and design simplification
• Simplify load paths, reduce part count, and cut overhead

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in mechanical, aerospace, structural, or a related engineering discipline
• 1+ years of mechanical design or structural engineering experience (internship and academic experience applicable)
• Proficiency with 3D CAD
• Ability to produce detailed engineering drawings with GD&T

Nice to have

• Master's degree in an engineering discipline
• Proficiency with FEA tools (e.g., Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys, or Femap) for static, dynamic, thermal, and fatigue analysis
• Experience designing flight hardware that has survived launch and operated in space, or other high-reliability hardware for extreme environments
• Familiarity with launch and landing load environments — quasi-static loads, random vibration, shock, and coupled loads analysis
• Hands-on structural test experience — static load, vibration, shock, and modal survey — including test-to-model correlation
• Experience with lightweight, load-optimized structures across machined, sheet-metal, welded, and composite/bonded construction
• Knowledge of materials selection, fasteners, and joint design for thermal cycling, vacuum, and radiation environments
• Experience designing mechanisms such as deployables, hinges, latches, and actuators
• Familiarity with aerospace structural standards and margin policies (e.g., NASA-STD-5001, GEVS)
• Exposure to aerospace, space, or other high-reliability hardware environments

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, and retirement plans
• Paid time off, holidays, and flexible policies
• Professional growth opportunities through training and development
• The chance to own high-impact work that directly shapes the future of robotics & space!
• A collaborative, mission-driven culture where craftsmanship and innovation are celebrated

Before you apply

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, you must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv)

About the company

Starpath develops and manufactures the technologies that will enable humans to live on the Moon and Mars. They are building robotic systems that locally produce water, power, and oxygen.