Lead Vehicle Engineer

General Galactic; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace company, General Galactic, is seeking a vehicle development engineer to lead critical technology initiatives for spacecraft design and integration. The role emphasizes collaboration with a talented team to ensure high standards in vehicle readiness, with opportunities for growth as the company evolves. Candidates should have a strong background in aerospace or mechanical engineering, along with proven experience in systems design and integration.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of engineering hardware ownership experience, preferably in spacecraft.
• Experience in satellite systems design and integration.
• Strong engineering background with a first-principles approach.

Responsibilities

• Lead vehicle development, qualification, and flight-readiness.
• Define structural and mechanical design requirements.
• Develop and support hardware test campaigns.

Skills

Problem Solving

CAD Tools Proficiency

Engineering Design

Integration Testing

Education

BS in Aerospace Engineering

Mechanical Engineering Degree

Job description

4 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants

This range is provided by General Galactic. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$145,000.00/yr - $215,000.00/yr

About General Galactic

General Galactic designs, develops, and builds advanced spacecraft for the most demanding missions. Led by former SpaceX, Varda, and Relativity engineers, our vision is to expand access to high-energy orbits across LEO, MEO, GEO, and cislunar space with our proprietary Genesis propulsion technology. Based in Los Angeles, California, we’re leveraging paradigm-shifting energy technology to reshape the space domain.

Job Description

You will work closely with the founders and technical team to develop critical technology for our products, including vehicle SN1 in early 2026. You’ll have extreme ownership over your work, move quickly, and operate with high agency. As we grow, there will be opportunities to expand your role with the company.

You will lead vehicle development, qualification, and flight-readiness for General Galactic. Scope of work could include design, analysis, testing, manufacturing, etc. of the integrated vehicle. Responsibilities may be tailored to the candidate’s profile and could include:

• Lead innovative conceptualization of spacecraft vehicle architecture according to mission and customer requirements, working with subsystem leads
• Own system requirements definition & interface definition and management
• Define structural, mechanical, environmental design and integration requirements and its constituent assemblies and components including both flight and non-flight hardware
• Interface with customers to define product requirements and lead relevant milestones, verification, and validation campaigns
• Define product capabilities and generate content for a Payload Users’ Guide
• Own development and maturation of technologies and capabilities needed to achieve a flight ready vehicle
• Work across domains such as structures, thermal, dynamics, mechanisms, etc.
• Lead system-level trades to ensure vehicle design meets all physical and environmental requirements while accommodating required payload, power, propulsion, thermal, communications and attitude control system requirements
• Develop and support hardware test campaigns and performance modeling/simulation

Requirements

Successful applicants should have most of the following:

• BS in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or similar degree
• 4+ years of experience in cradle-to-grave engineering hardware ownership, with preference for satellite and spacecraft experience
• Demonstrated experience with satellite systems design, development, integration, test, and/or on-orbit operations
• High degree of proficiency with CAD tools and machining/assembly practices
• Experience in a fast-paced startup environment or similar
• Strong engineering background and first-principles approach to problem solving even with incomplete or partial information

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Your salary and incentives will be determined individually on the basis of the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base Range: $145,000 to $215,000/year + benefits + stock options plan

Very brief statements of fit/interest in this role are encouraged, please send to [e-mail].

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This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens, U.S. permanent residents, individuals granted U.S. asylum status, or individuals admitted in U.S. refugee status) is a required qualification for this position.

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General Galactic Technologies Corporation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Engineering and Information Technology

• Industries

  Space Research and Technology

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