Principal Mechanisms Engineer, Optical

The role

You will design, manufacture, test, integrate, and deploy coarse pointing assemblies for large aperture optical payloads. You will collaborate with optical and satellite bus teams to determine requirements and own top-level CAD assemblies.

What you will do

• Deliver design and tolerancing for coarse pointing assemblies
• Perform line-of-sight error budgeting and stabilization analysis
• Create environmental test and qualification plans
• Develop supply chain and high-volume manufacturing plans
• Develop ground- and in-flight performance validation plans
• Collaborate with optical and satellite bus teams for requirements
• Own top-level CAD assembly for optical payloads
• Prepare design reviews for stakeholders
• Refine program deliverables and schedules
• Evaluate and select manufacturing equipment and partner with production

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or other relevant engineering discipline
• 8+ years of hands-on laboratory or work experience in optomechanics, electromechanical mechanisms, or electrical/mechanical design and testing
• Deep experience with CAD and FEA software packages (examples/ NX, Simcenter, FEMAP, and/or Hypermesh)
• Minimum 3+ years of experience working with one or more computer programing languages (examples: Python, Rust, C++, and/or MATLAB)

Nice to have

• Experience with precision optical mechanisms
• Deep knowledge of 2-axis gimbal design for space applications
• Experience closing line-of-sight performance budgets through analysis, controls integration, and test
• Familiarity with precision actuation, sensing, and control technologies for space mechanisms
• Experience designing harness routing, cable wraps, slip rings, and other cable-management approaches
• Experience leading mechanism hardware through the full product life cycle
• Experience contributing to spacecraft-level alignment and calibration planning
• Experience with NASA-STD-5017, SMC-S-016, and GSFC-STD-7000

Benefits

• Paid time off
• Medical/dental/vision coverage
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Many other perks

Before you apply

• Must be a U.S. person as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license

About the company

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown. They are mass-producing high-power satellite platforms for missions from LEO to deep space.