Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Design Engineer

The role

This person will support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network. They will own mechanical configurations, mass properties, and interfaces while establishing drafting standards and leading the mechanical design team.

What you will do

• Own the mechanical configuration of the spacecraft.
• Own the spacecraft mass properties budget.
• Own the interfaces to subcontractor, customer, and launch vehicle hardware.
• Establish the drafting standard and GD&T practice for mechanical engineering.
• Define and run the drawing review and release process.
• Lead the design of electronics enclosures.
• Establish and maintain Autodesk Inventor templates and modeling practices.
• Direct detail design across the mechanical team.
• Own producibility standards and make-versus-buy logic.
• Serve as the technical focal point for mechanical design.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, structural, or aerospace engineering, or a related field
• Minimum of ten years of experience in spacecraft or flight hardware mechanical design
• Demonstrated leadership of space systems development, including ownership of a major assembly from concept through build and flight
• Experience establishing or owning a drafting standard and GD&T practice per ASME Y14.5, and a drawing release process in a PDM
• Experience owning a vehicle mass properties budget, including allocation to subsystems, growth tracking, and reporting at design reviews
• Experience with mechanical chassis design for electrical components involving wedgelocks, connectors, backplanes, flex circuits, thermal interface material, heatsinks, EMI/EMC shielding, encapsulation
• Expert proficiency in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent, including large assembly management
• Experience driving producibility and make-versus-buy decisions with machine shops, fabricators, and suppliers of flight hardware
• Experience evaluating and selecting space-qualified adhesives, sealants, and threadlockers for flight hardware
• Creative problem-solving skills

Nice to have

• Master's or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field
• Experience with deployable structures and configuration control of stowed and deployed states
• Experience with composite, bonded, or lightweight panel construction and the associated fabrication processes
• Experience administering CAD and PDM environments, including template, library, and automation development with iLogic, Python, or equivalent
• Familiarity regulations and standards relevant to space missions and operations
• Ability to effectively communicate and work in a multidisciplinary team setting

Benefits

• Medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave

Before you apply

• All offers of employment are contingent upon results of a thorough background check
• Must provide proof of eligibility to work in the US
• 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 the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of St

About the company

Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy. They are building technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft's existing solar panels.