Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer to our team. If you are great at what you do, enjoy working in a startup environment, and are passionate about developing space hardware for leading-edge communications satellites, we would like to hear from you.

In this position, you will be responsible for leading a team of engineers responsible for mechanical aspects of CesiumAstro spacecraft, subsystems, and interfaces through all phases of the development process. The ideal candidate will be versatile and proficient in mechanical design, electronics packaging, computer-aided design (CAD), mechanical interfaces, thermal architecture, deployable and actuated structures, and environmental qualification of spacecraft. You will use these skills to effectively direct, mentor, and grow a team of upcoming engineers in the design of a novel satellite.

As a CesiumAstro spacecraft team lead and responsible mechanical authority, you will manage a small team to develop satellites and put them in orbit. You will be responsible for delivering robust mechanical designs from concept through space flight including requirements definition, architecture trades and block diagrams, analysis, manufacturing, assembly, testing, qualification, and in-orbit support. In this role you will also collaborate closely with GNC, EPS, CDH, Payload, RF, Systems, and AI&T teams.

The successful candidate will also present engineering design review materials to our customers and executive team, as well as participate in proposal-writing efforts. As such, excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.

• 12+ years of relevant experience.

• Demonstrated technical leadership of spacecraft mechanical development, including ownership of major design decisions and successful execution through one or more full development cycles.

• Experience leading and mentoring multidisciplinary mechanical teams and coordinating across structures, thermal, mechanisms, electrical, manufacturing, analysis, and AI&T.

• Strong understanding of spacecraft mechanical architecture, structural design, mechanical interfaces, and system-level design trades

• Hands-on experience supporting spacecraft integration, environmental testing, and resolution of vehicle-level technical challenges

• Strong knowledge of design for manufacturing, assembly, test, reliability, GD&T, and mechanical drawing practices.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Experience supporting vibration, shock, and TVAC campaigns

• Experience with spacecraft primary and secondary structures, including metallic and/or composite designs

• Familiarity with common mechanical CAD and analyses tools such as SolidWorks, Ansys, Nastran, or equivalent.

$158,000 - $205,000 a year

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.