Mechanical Engineer Hardware

Frontdoor Defense; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 178,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to lead end-to-end hardware design, build, and test for space-grade components in Burlingame, CA. You’ll own spacecraft components and assemblies from concept through verification, collaborating with senior engineers on complex architectures and high-risk decisions.

You will design flight hardware and GSE, perform calculations and FEA, build prototypes, and support testing and production readiness.

Qualifications

• Required: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years of professional mechanical hardware development experience with ownership of components or assemblies.
• Experience taking hardware through design, fabrication, assembly and testing; explain decisions and results.
• Strong fundamentals: load paths, joints, materials, GD&T, tolerance analysis.
• Proficient in 3D CAD and drawings using SolidWorks or equivalent; controlled release experience.
• Ability to substantiate designs with calculations and working knowledge of structural FEA.

Responsibilities

• Own assigned components and assemblies from requirements through design, build, verification and production support.
• Design flight hardware and mechanical GSE; create CAD drawings, BOMs, interfaces with GD&T and tolerance analysis.
• Evaluate design options for strength, packaging, manufacturability, cost, schedule; participate in design reviews.
• Perform first-principles calculations and structural FEA; verify loads, margins, and thermal interfaces.
• Build and evaluate prototypes; develop fixtures and test setups; use results to improve designs.
• Support assembly, integration, and qualification including TVAC test support and issue review.
• Coordinate interfaces across mechanical, thermal, electrical, payload, and I&T teams; communicate risks early.

Skills

Independent ownership

Problem solving

Communication

Mechanical fundamentals

Structural analysis

GD&T

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering or related

Tools

SolidWorks

FEA (finite element analysis)

Job description

Mechanical Engineer

Lead end-to-end hardware design, build, and test for space-grade mechanical components

Location: Burlingame, California

Compensation: $132,000 - 178,000 USD / year

About The Role

Mechanical Engineer

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth. With Pulsar – the world's most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

We're looking for a Mechanical Engineer who can independently take ownership of hardware and carry it from design through build and test. You will deliver spacecraft components, assemblies, and ground equipment, working closely with experienced engineers as your responsibilities grow.

Projects may include primary structure, deployable mechanisms, launch vehicle interfaces, machined and sheet metal brackets, solar arrays, electronics enclosures, precision mounts, and high-criticality mechanical ground support equipment (GSE). Your assignments will evolve with the needs of the spacecraft and the team.

You will own defined projects and assemblies, make day-to-day engineering decisions, and seek review when risks or interfaces require broader expertise. We value engineers who enjoy working with physical hardware, investigate problems carefully, and follow through on the details that make a design work.

What you will do:

• Own assigned components and assemblies from requirements through design, procurement, build, verification, and production support, with senior guidance on complex architecture and high-risk decisions.
• Design flight hardware and mechanical GSE; create and release CAD, drawings, bills of materials, and interface definitions with appropriate GD&T, tolerance analysis, and configuration control.
• Evaluate design options for strength, stiffness, packaging, manufacturability, assembly, cost, and schedule. Document recommendations and participate in design reviews.
• Use first-principles calculations and structural FEA appropriate to the hardware. Work with senior engineers and analysis specialists to confirm loads, assumptions, margins, and thermal interfaces.
• Build and evaluate prototypes, develop fixtures and functional test setups, and use measurements and test results to improve designs.
• Support assembly, integration, and qualification of assigned hardware, including occasional vibration and thermal vacuum (TVAC) test support, hardware preparation, and review of findings.
• Investigate manufacturing, integration, and test anomalies. Develop and verify corrective actions with the team, update documentation, and support production when issues arise.
• Work directly with suppliers and technicians to answer technical questions, review manufacturability and inspection needs, and resolve issues affecting hardware delivery.
• Coordinate interfaces across mechanical, thermal, electrical, payload, and integration and test teams. Track your commitments, communicate risks early, and ask for support before issues affect delivery.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering field.
• 3+ years of professional mechanical hardware development experience, with demonstrated ownership of components or assemblies.
• Experience carrying hardware through detailed design, fabrication, assembly, and physical testing; ability to explain your own decisions and results.
• Solid mechanical fundamentals, including load paths, joints and fasteners, materials, thermal and optical properties, machining, sheet metal fabrication, GD&T, and tolerance analysis.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD and engineering drawings using SolidWorks or a comparable platform, with experience following controlled release and revision processes.
• Ability to substantiate designs with engineering calculations and working knowledge of structural FEA, including loads, constraints, and basic checks of model results.
• Hands‑on experience using tools, assembling hardware, developing test setups, and troubleshooting discrepancies between designs and actual hardware.
• Ability to manage defined projects independently, communicate technical issues clearly, collaborate across disciplines, and incorporate design feedback.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with spacecraft hardware, launch environments, or other high-reliability hardware with demanding structural and environmental requirements.
• Experience with deployment or separation mechanisms, precision assemblies, electronics packaging, or spacecraft handling and lifting equipment.
• Experience supporting vibration, shock, or thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing and using test results to improve hardware.
• Experience transitioning designs into repeatable production, resolving supplier issues, or improving assembly and inspection processes.
• Experience owning a small subsystem, working in a cleanroom, or supporting qualification and acceptance testing of flight hardware.

Experience in every hardware category listed above is not expected. We are interested in the depth of your engineering work, the hardware you have delivered, and your ability to apply that experience to new problems.

For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.