Engineering Manager, Mission Mechanical Hardware

Front Door Defense; San Jose, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 186,000 - 202,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grant

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) retirement plan

3 weeks paid vacation

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Muon Space is seeking an Engineering Manager for Mission Mechanical in San Jose, CA. This hybrid role combines people leadership with hands-on engineering, guiding a team from requirements through environmental testing on spacecraft platforms.

You will mentor engineers, contribute designs, and ensure high reliability while coordinating with cross‑functional teams across mission programs.

Qualifications

• Experience designing complex, integrated systems for harsh environments (spacecraft, aviation, automotive, robotics).
• Proven ability to lead engineering teams and deliver hardware to the field.
• Proficiency with CAD and strong drawings, GD&T, BOMs, FAIs, tolerances.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a mechanical engineering team delivering mission hardware from requirements to environmental test.
• Stay hands-on with designs, drawings and analyses; conduct design reviews.
• Own mechanical deliverables across missions and ensure on-time, reliable results.
• Collaborate with other teams to translate customer needs into flight hardware; reuse components where possible.
• Set and uphold engineering standards, including safety and PLM processes; manage test campaigns.

Skills

Spacecraft systems design

Team leadership

CAD proficiency

Environment testing

Drawings and GD&T

Project management

Communication

Engineering fundamentals

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Engineering Manager, Mission Mechanical

Lead the mechanical engineering team to deliver mission-specific spacecraft hardware from design through environmental testing

Location: San Jose, California

Compensation: $186,000 - 202,000 USD / year

About The Role

Engineering Manager, Mission Mechanical

Muon seeks an Engineering Manager to lead a team of mechanical engineers who tailor Muon's spacecraft platforms to specific missions. Starting from our common platform building blocks, this team designs payload accommodations and mission-specific components, and carries each spacecraft's mechanical build through integration and environmental test.

This is a hands‑on role, split roughly evenly between management and individual contribution: you'll manage and develop your team while staying technically engaged — contributing designs, running design reviews, unblocking the team, and setting the quality bar. The role reports to the Senior Manager of Spacecraft Structures & Missions.

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of mechanical engineers customizing Muon's spacecraft platforms for specific missions; plan resourcing across concurrent missions and hire as the team scales
• Invest in developing early‑career engineers through coaching, design feedback, and growth planning
• Own the mechanical deliverables for assigned missions — from requirements through design, build, integration, and environmental test — ensuring on‑time, high‑reliability delivery
• Stay hands‑on: contribute designs, drawings, and analyses alongside the team, setting the standard you expect
• Work with mission formulation and systems teams to translate customer needs into robust flight hardware, reusing common platform components where possible and developing new ones where needed
• Set and uphold engineering standards for the team — factors of safety, make vs. buy, materials, PLM process, and documentation
• Run design reviews and test readiness reviews; collaborate on test plans consistent with each mission's risk posture and own the outcome of test campaigns
• Partner with avionics, systems, thermal, structural, and production teams to optimize designs for performance, reliability, and manufacturability

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience designing complex, integrated systems that operate in harsh environments (spacecraft, aviation, automotive, robotics, or similar)
• 2+ years managing or technically leading engineering teams
• Track record of delivering hardware products to the field
• Ability to move fluidly between hands‑on engineering and team leadership in a fast‑paced environment
• Proficiency in CAD for medium‑to‑large assembly design and management (SolidWorks preferred)
• Mastery of drawings, GD&T, BOMs, FAIs, tolerance budgets, and mass budgets; diligence with ECO/DCO processes
• Experience managing analysis products (structural, thermal) and incorporating results into design
• Excellent leadership, communication, and presentation skills
• B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Nice‑to‑have Skills

• Experience managing or mentoring spacecraft design teams
• Experience running full environmental test campaigns (vibration, TVAC) on satellites or launch vehicles
• Experience with risk‑management processes and matching risk tolerance to design requirements
• Project management experience: customer reviews, schedules, risk tracking
• Experience developing early‑career engineers into independent contributors

Salary

The salary range for this role is $186,000 - $202,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end‑to‑end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission‑critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time‑to‑orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state‑of‑the‑art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full‑time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.

Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants.

In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.