Mechanical Engineer

Rocket Lab; East Hagbourne; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace company is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to design and develop innovative mechanisms for their next generation of satellites. The role involves leading a small team, hands-on assembly, and collaboration across departments. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in CAD tools and precision mechanism design, and the flexibility to work in a hybrid environment, balancing on-site and remote work.

Qualifications

• Experience in aerospace mechanism design preferred.
• Proficient in GD&T with standards like ISO 1101.
• Ability to work in cleanroom environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of mechanisms for satellites.
• Assemble and test prototype hardware at the Harwell campus.
• Collaborate with the mechanical team on various projects.

Skills

Designing precision motorised mechanisms

Creating mechanical designs using GD&T

Using CAD tools

Communicating effectively

Performing high quality assembly & testing

Authoring technical documents

Tools

CAD

Job description

Mechanics · Harwell, UK · Hybrid

Mechanical Engineer

Working for Open Cosmos

Aim high, go beyond! At Open Cosmos we are solving the world’s biggest challenges from space, providing businesses, governments and researchers access to more readily available information than ever before - ready for the challenge? Then read on…

Working in the Mechanical Team

The Mechanical Team works closely with other areas of the business to design the mechanical parts of our satellites and support the build and testing of these. This involves a mix of desk-based work and hands-on work in our cleanrooms and labs.

What will you be doing?

This role will be focused specifically on the design and development of mechanisms to be used on a new generation of Open Cosmos satellites. You will spend most of your time working as the mechanical/mechanisms lead of a small team dedicated to this, but you will also be part of the general mechanical team and report to the mechanical team leader.

As well as leading on design and analysis tasks, you will be involved from the beginning with assembling and testing prototype hardware at our Harwell campus facilities.

What you need to be successful

• You'll be well versed in designing precision motorised mechanisms, ideally for use in space.
• You’ll be able to create mechanical designs, from concept to drawing for manufacture, using your knowledge in GD&T using ISO 1101, 2692 & 5458 or ASME Y14.5
• You’ll be confident using CAD tools to produce parts, assemblies & drawings, and management of CAD files
• You’ll be communicating a lot, so confidence in speaking, listening and writing, sometimes within large groups including customers is essential
• You’ll be capable of performing high quality assembly & testing work in a cleanroom environment
• You'll be proficient at authoring technical documents such as test reports, analysis reports and similar

This is a hybrid role. At times, you may need to be in the lab daily; at other times, you’ll have the flexibility to work remotely if you prefer.

That said, you must be ready and willing to support your colleagues onsite at Harwell whenever required.

Department

Mechanics

Role

Mechanical Engineer

Locations

Harwell, UK

Remote status

Hybrid

About Open Cosmos

Open Cosmos is dedicated to solving customer problems with insights from space. Whether this is monitoring agricultural yields, assessing the damage of oil spills or providing navigation solutions, we believe that data from satellites is the most effective and sustainable way of achieving this.

Mechanics · Harwell, UK · Hybrid

Mechanical Engineer

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