Manager, Mechanical and Thermal Systems

ICEYE US; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Flexible PTO

Friendly environment

Extra perks

Job summary

ICEYE US seeks a Manager, Mechanical & Thermal Systems to lead the engineering team responsible for mechanical structures, deployables, and thermal control for space hardware, from architecture through flight acceptance. You will oversee the payload-to-bus interface, environmental test campaigns, and collaborate with RF, avionics, systems engineering, and AIT to ensure margins and manufacturability.

The role requires 8+ years in space mechanical design, 2+ years of leadership, and a Bachelor's

Qualifications

• 8+ years of mechanical design for space hardware.
• Experience with space deployables.
• 2+ years of engineering management or tech lead experience.
• Proficiency in CAD tools (SolidWorks/Creo/CATIA).
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• Experience in thermal design and control.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a team of mechanical and thermal engineers; manage hiring and development.
• Design and analyze mechanical structures, mechanisms, deployables for space hardware.
• Own lifecycle: requirements, interfaces, verification and validation.
• Ensure designs meet thermal, vibration, acoustic and load requirements.
• Collaborate with RF, thermal, avionics, and AIT teams on constraints.
• Lead environmental test planning and execution for flight article.
• Define and optimize manufacturing/assembly processes for producibility.
• Own MGSE design and AIT build support, payload-to-bus interface.
• Set and enforce engineering standards across program lifecycle.

Skills

Space mechanical design

Engineering management

CAD tools

Thermal design

Education

BSc in Mechanical/Aerospace

Tools

CAD software

Job description

Manager, Mechanical and Thermal Systems

At ICEYE, we design, build and operate the largest fleet of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites in the world. Using advanced technology, our constellation collects topographical data about any location on Earth, day or night, through any weather conditions.

Headquartered in Southern California, our customers are society’s heroes – intelligence professionals, warfighters, first responders, and scientific researchers. As a trusted mission partner, the United States and its allies depend on us for critical information when it matters most.

Role Description

ICEYE US is developing next-generation spaceborne SAR payloads and full space vehicles and is seeking a Manager, Mechanical & Thermal Systems to lead the engineering team responsible for mechanical structures, mechanisms, deployable, and thermal control. Sitting within the Space Systems engineering team, this role owns the full mechanical and thermal subsystem lifecycle — from early architecture and trade studies through environmental verification and flight acceptance — while building and leading a team of mechanical and thermal engineers.

The manager will oversee payload-to-bus interface definition, structural integrity, thermal margin compliance, and environmental test campaigns for flight hardware. They will coordinate daily with RF, avionics, systems engineering, and AIT teams, and serve as the primary mechanical and thermal technical authority across all program lifecycle reviews.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of mechanical and thermal engineers; own hiring, onboarding, performance development, and technical career growth for direct reports.

• Accountable for design and analysis of mechanical structures, mechanisms, and deployables for small- to mid-size space hardware, with a focus on adapting existing designs for space vehicle integration.

• Own the structures and mechanisms engineering lifecycle, including requirements decomposition, interface definition, and verification and validation closure for various programs.

• Ensure mechanical and structural designs meet all thermal, vibration, acoustic, and load requirements across the full environmental envelope.

• Collaborate with cross-functional subsystem teams — RF, thermal, avionics, and AIT — to satisfy mass, volume, structural margin, and manufacturability constraints.

• Lead environmental test planning and execution for the flight article, including thermal vacuum (TVAC), vibration, shock, and deployment testing; own test data review and disposition.

• Define and optimize manufacturing and assembly processes to support producibility, scaling across bus implementations, and schedule-driven build milestones.

• Own MGSE design and AIT build support, including payload-to-bus attachment interface definition and adapter design for both current and future mission applications.

• Set and enforce mechanical and thermal engineering standards, processes, and operating framework governing how structures, mechanisms, and thermal systems are designed, analyzed, tested, and verified across the program lifecycle — including modeling standards, drawing and CAD configuration control practices, analysis report formats, and environmental test readiness criteria.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in mechanical design for space-rated hardware.

• Experience in designing space deployables.

• 2+ years of direct engineering management or technical lead experience, including tasking, mentorship, and performance ownership.

• Proficiency in CAD tools (SolidWorks, Creo, CATIA, or similar).

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.

• Experience in thermal design and control.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with lightweight composite structures and advanced materials.

• Familiarity with DFM (Design for Manufacturing) and machining for aerospace.

• Knowledge of FEM/FEA analysis tools (ANSYS, NASTRAN, etc.).

• Experience in space missions for LEO.

Pay Range and Compensation Package

The estimated base salary range for this role is $155k - $195k depending on experience

Other benefits include health coverage, flexible PTO, a friendly work environment, plus extra fun perks!

Physical Requirements

This position primarily works in an office environment. It requires the ability to sit or stand for long periods of time and frequent walking. Daily use of a computer, phone, office equipment and other computing and digital devices is required. Some travel may be necessary – the ability to travel by car, plane, train, bus, vessel, or metro, operate a motor vehicle and maintain a valid Driver’s License and/or effectively navigate public transportation is required.

While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee must be able to read and respond to inter-office communications as well as effectively participate in meetings. The employee is often required to sit and use their hands or fingers, to lift up to 50 lbs., pull, push, carry, handle, or feel. The employee is required to carry, handle items, reach with arms and hands, to stoop, kneel, or crouch; talk, or hear. Mental demands may require prolonged concentration, reading comprehension, understanding and interpretation of concepts, ideas, and philosophies. The physical demands of the position described herein are essential functions of the job and employees must be able to successfully perform these tasks for extended periods. Reasonable accommodations may be made for those individuals with real or perceived disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job described unless such accommodations would cause ICEYE US an undue burden.

EEO Statement

ICEYE US is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.