Mechanical Engineer (III-Senior), Space Based Interceptors Mass Properties

True Anomaly; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Hybrid work model

401K and parental leave

Job summary

True Anomaly in Denver designs space-based interceptors and hypersonic flight hardware. As a Mechanical Engineer, you will own mass properties for the vehicle and help develop flight hardware that performs under extreme thermal, vibration, and aerodynamic loads.

You will collaborate with REs and vendors to define CG/MOI, support design reviews, and ensure GD&T, CAD standards, and test plans meet program milestones while advancing national security priorities.

Qualifications

• 7–15+ years of mechanical design and mass properties experience.
• Experience with space-based interceptors or hypersonic flight programs.
• Familiarity with MIL-SPEC, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-1540, and AIAA S-110.

Responsibilities

• Own mass properties of the entire system and component packaging.
• Define CG/MOI tracking methodology and reports.
• Develop and approve CG/MOI test plans and verification plans.
• Maintain ICDs and configuration baselines across milestones.
• Ensure GD&T and CAD standards per ASME guidelines.

Skills

Mass properties analysis

Mechanical design

Flight vehicle integration

Communication skills

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace

Tools

NX (Siemens)

GD&T (ASME Y-14.5)

NASTRAN/Ansys

TeamCenter/Windchill

Job description

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it.

OUR MISSION

True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.

OUR VALUES

• Be the offset. We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity.
• What would it take? We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results.
• It’s the people. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.

YOUR MISSION

The next generation of Space Based Interceptors demands hardware that performs flawlessly at hypersonic speeds, survives extreme thermal and aerodynamic environments, and delivers precision intercept against the most advanced threats ever fielded. True Anomaly is building that hardware — and we are looking for engineers who want to be part of it.

As a Mechanical Engineer at True Anomaly, you will own the mass properties of the entire vehicle and also play a critical role in designing and developing flight hardware for some of the most technically demanding programs in the defense aerospace industry. From interceptor systems and kill vehicles to hypersonic flight vehicles, you will engineer mechanical systems that must perform flawlessly in extreme thermal, aerodynamic, and high-g environments — building the hardware that matters most when it counts.

Responsibilities

• Serve as both the mass properties technical authority/subject matter expert and a mechanical design engineer for Space Based Interceptors. Where you will own the mass properties of the entire system as well as piece part design as directed by the REs.
• Own mass properties of all flight vehicle structures and systems — and work with the vehicle REs on component packaging to optimize CG, MOI, and POI.
• Define mass properties definition and tracking methodology while adhering to relevant industry standards including AIAA S-110.
• Support Vehicle level REs in component level design as needed to meet mission level requirements.
• Define and maintain vehicle-level mechanical interface control documents (ICDs), mass properties reports, and configuration baselines across program milestones.
• Conform to GD&T standards per ASME Y-14.5-2018, drawing conventions, and CAD model management practices as established by the mechanical engineering department.
• Develop and approve CG and MOI measurement test plans, witness testing, and resolve anomalies and non-conformances against program requirements.
• Leverage spacecraft and space environment design expertise — including precision mechanisms, electronics packaging, and launch load structural design — to inform cross-domain solutions and bring asymmetric technical advantage to Space Based Interceptors and hypersonic programs.
• Provide technical mentorship and career development guidance to more junior mechanical engineers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7–15+ years of professional experience in mechanical design and mass properties analysis, with the majority spent on Space Based Interceptors, hypersonic vehicle, or similar high-performance flight system programs.
• Demonstrated experience maintaining mass properties predictions for multiple vehicles across multiple programs simultaneously.
• Experience maintaining mass growth allowance standards for component categories as vehicle and component level design matures.
• Demonstrated expertise in flight vehicle structural design for high-dynamic-pressure, thermally coupled, and high-g flight environments, including experience across multiple interceptor, kill vehicle, or re-entry system programs.
• Extensive hands‑on experience with guidance and seeker packaging architecture, including precision optical or RF sensor integration, alignment and retention design, vibration isolation, and EMI management within kill vehicle or interceptor envelopes.
• Expert‑level proficiency in NX (Siemens), including complex multi‑subsystem vehicle assemblies, configuration management, and part design best practices.
• Expert level understanding of GD&T principles, with proven experience defining custom GD&T Datum and tolerance schemes for part drawings.
• Experience performing tolerance stack‑ups based on assembly‑wide tolerances for fitment analysis.
• Strong understanding of first principles, and a first‑principles approach to problem solving with experience performing preliminary hand calculations for all designed parts.
• Proven track record of rocket, missile, and/or satellite mechanical design and/or mass properties experience from initial design to production.
• Strong familiarity with relevant defense and aerospace standards (e.g., MIL‑SPEC, MIL‑STD‑810, MIL‑STD‑1540, AIAA S‑110) and their application to design, analysis, and test.
• Experience with configuration management, MES, and PLM tools (e.g., TeamCenter, Windchill).
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical topics to executive, program, and customer audiences.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US security clearance (Secret or TS/SCI).

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience specifically in interceptor systems, kill vehicles, or hypersonic flight vehicle mechanical design and mass properties analysis, with multiple programs delivered to flight test or operational fielding.
• Experience as a mass properties engineer and/or mechanical design engineer on a Space Based Interceptor or hypersonic program, with ownership of vehicle level mass properties reports and analysis.
• Experience developing and maintaining mass properties tracking and analysis tools for use across multiple programs.
• Deep experience with kill vehicle or hit‑to‑kill interceptor hardware, including ultra‑mass‑constrained structures, precision seeker alignment under vibration and thermal loading, and flight‑critical deployment or divert mechanism design.
• Experience with hypersonic flight vehicle aeroshell design, including TPS panel integration, structural joint design under aeroheating, and ablative material qualification.
• Background in rocket, missile or satellite mechanical design, with the ability to apply space environment principles — precision mechanisms, electronics packaging, launch load structures — as cross‑domain technical leverage on Space Based Interceptors and hypersonic programs.
• Familiarity with structural analysis and FEA methods (e.g., NASTRAN, Ansys) and demonstrated ability to collaborate with and review analysis performed by your assigned analysts.
• Experience supporting business development, proposal writing, and new program captures in missile defense or hypersonic domains, including DARPA, MDA, or Air Force Research Laboratory programs.
• Background working in a startup or high‑growth aerospace and defense company, with experience scaling engineering teams and processes under program constraints.
• Active U.S. security clearance (Secret or TS/SCI).

Compensation

• Base Salary: $110,000-$190,000
• Equity + Benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job‑related knowledge and skills, education, location, and experience.

Additional Requirements

• Work Location—Successful candidates will be located near Denver or Colorado Springs. While we observe a hybrid work environment, some work must be done on site.
• Work environment—the work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.
• Physical demands—the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.

True Anomaly is committed to equal employment opportunity on any basis protected by applicable state and federal laws.