Mechanical Engineer (Solar & Deployables)

Muon Space; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental & vision coverage

Parental leave

Generous time off

401(k) with equity

Fully stocked kitchen & catered lunch

Dog-friendly office

Job summary

Muon Space in San Jose, CA seeks a Mechanical Engineer to design and build hardware for its Solar & Deployables group. You will own components from CAD to flight, prototyping, and test, delivering robust hardware for solar arrays and deployables.

You will produce drawings, BOMs, and GD&T, while collaborating with senior engineers and vendors to mature concepts through testing and qualification campaigns.

Qualifications

• Must have 5+ years designing, building, and testing mechanical hardware.
• Strong CAD skills (SolidWorks preferred).
• Experience with spacecraft hardware, deployables, or precision mechanisms.
• Familiarity with fabrication methods (machining, sheet metal, composites, or additive).

Responsibilities

• Design components and assemblies for solar arrays and deployable systems from concept to release.
• Produce and release drawings, GD&T, BOMs, and tolerance stacks under configuration control.
• Build and test prototypes; retire risk early through hardware iterations.
• Support qualification and acceptance test campaigns including vibration and TVAC testing.
• Perform first‑order engineering analysis to guide designs (hand calcs/FEA with analysts).
• Design test fixtures, GSE, and tooling for repeatable build/test.
• Collaborate with vendors on fabrication and support ECO/PLM processes.
• Present work in design reviews and incorporate feedback from senior engineers across disciplines.

Skills

Drawings & GD&T

Prototyping & testing

Communication & teamwork

5+ years hardware design

CAD - SolidWorks

Python/MATLAB

Fabrication methods

Spacecraft hardware

Structural analysis (hand calcs/FEA)

Environmental testing

PLM/ECO processes

Python, MATLAB or similar

Education

B.S./M.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering or related field

Tools

SolidWorks

FEMAP/NASTRAN/ANSYS

Python

MATLAB

Job description

• Muon seeks a Mechanical Engineer to design and build hardware for our new Solar & Deployables group — the team responsible for the solar arrays and deployable systems that power our spacecraft. Working alongside the group’s senior and staff engineers, you’ll take real ownership of components and assemblies: designing them, releasing them, prototyping them, and proving them out in test
• This is a hands‑on design role with a fast build-test‑learn loop. You’ll see your hardware go from CAD to flight, and you’ll help carry designs from first prototypes through constellation‑quantity production
• Design components and assemblies for solar arrays and deployable systems — structures, mechanism components, and supporting hardware — from concept through detailed design and release
• Produce and release engineering documentation: drawings, GD&T, BOMs, and tolerance stacks under configuration control
• Build and test prototypes to evaluate design concepts and retire risk early
• Support qualification and acceptance test campaigns, including deployment testing with gravity offload and environmental test (vibration, TVAC)
• Perform first‑order engineering analysis — margins, stiffness, and sizing hand calcs — to guide your designs, working with the group’s analysts on detailed FEA
• Design test fixtures, GSE, and tooling that make hardware fast and repeatable to build and test
• Work with vendors on part fabrication, and support build procedures and work instructions for production
• Present your work in design reviews and incorporate feedback from senior engineers across disciplines

Benefits

• 100% health, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 50% coverage for dependents (Concierge Medical offered through One Medical where available)
• Parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers
• Generous time off policy
• 401(k) plan through Betterment and equity management through Carta
• Fully stocked kitchen at our HQ and we cater lunch 3 days per week
• Dog-friendly office

Solid command of drawings, GD&T, BOMs, and tolerance stacksHands‑on prototyping and test experience with a bias for learning through hardwareExcellent communication and teamwork skills, with a strong desire to learn in a fast‑paced environment5+ years of experience designing, building, and testing mechanical hardwareStrong CAD skills (SolidWorks preferred) for component and assembly designB.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related fieldFamiliarity with common fabrication methods (machining, sheet metal, composites, or additive)

Experience with spacecraft hardware, deployables, or precision mechanismsStructural analysis experience: hand calculations or FEA (FEMAP/NASTRAN, ANSYS, or similar)Experience with environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, shock)Composite panel or bonded‑joint design experienceExperience with PLM systems and ECO/DCO processesSoftware skills in Python, MATLAB, or similar