Lead Spacecraft Structures Engineer

Socket.dev; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Shared equity

Company-paid healthcare

PTO 15–20 days + holidays

401(k) matching

Parental leave

Daily lunch and snacks

Office Playa Vista

Impactful work

Job summary

Apex Technology, Inc. is seeking a Lead Structures Engineer to own the design, development, and delivery of flight-critical spacecraft structural systems from concept through on-orbit operation.

You will drive architecture, analysis, hardware execution, and cross-functional integration with thermal, avionics, propulsion, and manufacturing teams. You will lead a small team, perform FEA, develop test campaigns, and ensure production-ready structures for next-generation satellites at scale at our

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (or related field).
• 5+ years of experience designing and delivering structural or mechanical systems.
• 1+ years of professional experience leading technical teams and/or projects.
• Experience owning hardware from concept through test or production.
• Strong fundamentals in structural analysis, mechanical design, and system integration.
• Experience designing lightweight aerospace structures, load-bearing assemblies, composite or metallic structures, and structural interfaces.
• Proficiency with CAD (NX, CATIA, SolidWorks) and FEA tools (ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus).
• Experience developing and executing structural test campaigns.
• Demonstrated ability to move quickly, take ownership, and solve complex problems in fast-paced environments.
• Experience working with suppliers and managing external partners.
• Exposure to spacecraft, launch vehicles, or other high-performance hardware systems.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end design of spacecraft structural systems from concept through flight, including architecture, requirements, CAD, drawings, and specs.
• Drive trade studies and supplier execution while partnering cross-functionally to deliver integrated systems.
• Perform first-principles analysis and FEA to size and validate components and assemblies.
• Develop and execute structural test plans, analyze results and iterate designs.
• Own hardware through build, integration, and test in fast-paced environments.
• Lead a small team through design reviews and mentor engineers while balancing performance, risk, and manufacturability.

Skills

Structural design

FEA

Leadership

CAD NX

CATIA

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Nastran

Abaqus

Test campaigns

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

NX

CATIA

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Nastran

Abaqus

Job description

Apex Technology, Inc. is seeking a Lead Structures Engineer to own the design, development, and delivery of flight-critical spacecraft structural systems from concept through on-orbit operation.

You will drive architecture, analysis, hardware execution, and cross-functional integration with thermal, avionics, propulsion, and manufacturing teams. You will lead a small team, perform FEA, develop test campaigns, and ensure production-ready structures for next-generation satellites at scale at our