Mechanical Design Engineer - Spacecraft

Title: SR. Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Mechanisms

Location: Leander, TX

Work Schedule: Onsite Role

Position Summary:

looking for an experienced mechanical engineer to lead the development of our state-of-the-art mechanical separation and interfacing systems across the full product life cycle. You will own moving mechanical assemblies including deployables, actuators, landing legs, latches, hinges, and release and separation systems from initial requirements and clean-sheet concepts all the way through design, analysis, prototype, qualification, and integration for our Blue Ghost Lunar Lander and Elytra vehicles. This is a full hardware-ownership role for an engineer who thrives on real-time decisions, fast data-driven iteration, and seeing their hardware fly.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own the entire hardware lifecycle for a variety of moving mechanical assemblies and structures, from concept through qualification and flight.
• Develop, scrub, and maintain requirements for responsible mechanisms.
• Lead configuration development and trade studies, optimizing for mass, cost, schedule, safety, and performance making clear recommendations even with partial information.
• Perform conceptual design and first-order analysis including strength, sizing, kinematics, and mechanism margin (torque/force ratio) calculations supported by hand calcs and FEA.
• Generate CAD models, manufacturing drawings, specifications, and supporting documentation.
• Rapidly iterate on designs and manufacturing processes through development testing in a fast-paced environment.
• Support production implementation and on-site build verification, partnering with build engineers and technicians to improve designs.
• Define and execute hardware development, qualification, and acceptance test campaigns, and interpret test data (thermal, vibration).
• Lead design reviews internally and with suppliers and customers (e.g., NASA, U.S. Space Force), and demonstrate compliance with relevant launch jurisdiction standards.
• Support Business Development with proposals and mission concepts, and manage development schedules, vendors, and budgets.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior mechanisms engineers, and collaborate with the team to continuously improve design, analysis, and test processes.

Required:

• B.S. in aerospace or mechanical engineering and 5+ years of demonstrated professional experience in aerospace or a related mechanical engineering field.
• Experience sizing and designing motors for spacecraft applications
• Familiar with instrumentation and functional test setups for mechanisms
• Hobby level understanding or better of basic machine shop setups for prototyping (mill/ lathe operation, etc)
• Strong design and integration skills using 3-D CAD software (Siemens NX preferred).
• Experience with industry FEA/FEM tools such as Nastran, ANSYS, or FEMAP.
• Experience designing and analyzing composite and metallic structures.
• Strong grasp of first principles across multiple disciplines (mechanical, structural dynamics, materials, fluids/thermodynamics, electrical) and structural failure modes of complex mechanical systems.
• Solid understanding and application of GD&T (ASME Y14.5).
• Must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or otherwise authorized under ITAR/EAR).

Desired:

• M.S. in aerospace or mechanical engineering and/or 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Previous experience with launch vehicle or spacecraft mechanisms (deployables, landing legs, separation systems, latches, hinges, actuators).
• Working knowledge of tribology, bearing selection, lubrication, and mechanism life/margin analysis.
• Working knowledge of composite manufacturing methods, material selection, and testing.
• Experience developing physical tests to validate analysis and evaluate assumptions, and interpreting thermal/vibration test data.
• Familiarity with aerospace-standard analysis methods (Bruhn, Niu, Roark, Shigley's, etc.).
• Working knowledge of at least one computer/scripting language (Python, MATLAB) at the professional or hobbyist level.
• Leadership experience on an engineering or project team.