Mechanical Engineer, Space

Anduril; Chantilly, Herndon (VA, VA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Benefits package

Job summary

Anduril Industries is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to join our Chantilly, VA team, contributing to spacecraft hardware design and ground support equipment. You will work through full design cycles from requirements to test, focusing on deployable space mechanisms and reliable assemblies.

The role requires 3–8 years of hardware product development, hands-on prototyping, and collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, and mission success teams; US citizenship and security clearance

Qualifications

• B.S. in mechanical or aerospace engineering or related field.
• 3–8 years of hardware product development experience.
• Basic understanding of PCB layout requirements for space hardware.
• Experience in ground-up system design and 3-D CAD.
• Hands-on assembly, prototyping, testing, and performance characterization.
• Experience designing very small mechanisms and components.
• Familiarity with launch environments and range safety.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design space flight hardware and ground equipment.
• Provide rapid prototyping and design verification for space hardware.
• Apply space-flight design standards to create reliable, manufacturable assemblies.
• Develop structural components, mechatronics, and environmental testing.
• Iterate with rapid prototyping and 3-D printing.
• Participate in design reviews and support integration and test.
• Support root cause analysis and production operations.
• Manage multiple projects and adapt to changing timelines.

Skills

Hardware product development

Ground-up system design

Prototyping

Testing

Mechatronics

Small mechanisms design

Launch environments knowledge

Creativity/out-of-the-box thinking

Project management

Communication

Security clearance eligibility

Education

B.S. in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

3-D CAD

PCB Layout tools

Job description

Chantilly, Virginia, United States; Herndon, Virginia, United States

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

ABOUT THE TEAM

In the Space Special Programs team, we build spacecraft and space systems which serve a wide variety of functions in the space architecture. At a time when space superiority can no longer be taken for granted and with space systems proliferating at an incredible rate, the Space Special Programs team provides advanced, mission critical capabilities to our customer base to be able to more effectively operate and survive within this expanding environment with limited personnel. Working across product, engineering, sales,logistics, operations, and mission success, the Space Special Programs team develops, tests, deploys, andoperatesnew, unique, space capabilities to drive mission success in challenging operational environments.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for Mechanical Engineers to join our rapidly growing team in Chantilly, VA. In this role, you will be responsible for portions of the full cycle design for spacecraft and associated systems including deriving requirements, 3D CAD, modelling (structural, thermal, dynamic, etc), materials selection, supervision of fabrication, initial assembly, test, debug and integration with the system. The designs include deployment mechanisms for spacecraft and subsystems (such as antennas, solar panels, etc), as well as boxes, structures, pressure vessels, and the like. All of these components require rigorous testing including vibration, shock, thermal vacuum, thermal, etc and must be developed to work with very tight tolerances, since the space vehicles themselves are fairly small. The design work also includes designing, building, and testing the MGSE required to integrate, assemble, and test the spacecraft, ultimately in a high-rate manufacturing environment. The engineering team as a whole must span the capabilities of structural, thermal, and dynamic analysis, structure design for spacecraft, spacecraft dispensers, and other components, 3D CAD for all of these designs, design for fabrication and manufacture, as well as building prototypes, flight articles, and taking them through full qualification or acceptance test campaigns. The complement of individuals on the team will be adjusted so that the entire team functions well across all of these areas, with roles that are more analysis-focused, and roles that are more hands-on focused.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Work with a cross-functional team to design market leadingspace flighthardwareand associated ground equipmentproducts
• Implement product componentsthrough rapid prototyping, design verification, andspacequalification activities
• Learn and apply modernspace-flight hardwaredesign standards and guidelines to create high-reliability, highly manufacturable assemblies
• Implement a variety of structural components and mechatronics, with associated environmental testing to assure robustness in the context of the various missionsas well as to characterize performance envelopes of the hardware
• Use rapid prototyping, 3D printing, and hands-on machining asappropriate toiterate quickly and allow forcreative“outside-the-box" thinking
• Participate inpeer-level and cross-discipline design reviewsand collaborate with otherMEs on your team to improve everyone’s capabilities
• Root causeinvestigation data collection andanalysis in support of production operations
• Work in a fast-paced environment, having to juggle multiple concurrent projects andchanging delivery timelines

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• B.S. inmechanical or aerospaceengineering or similar engineering or technical field
• 3-8 years of professional experience, in hardware product development
• Basicunderstanding of PCB Layoutrequirements to meetspace flightmechanical, and manufacturing requirements
• Experience in ground-up system design and any 3-D CAD
• Hands-on assembly, prototyping, testing, and performance characterization of mechanisms designed for 0g but in a 1g environment.
• Experience designing and buildingvery smallmechanisms, components, and systems.
• Familiarity with launch environments, testing for launch environments, range safety, and system integration efforts
• Demonstrated creativity and “out of the box thinking” for spacecraft mechanisms with an eye toward simplicity and reliability
• Ability todeterminemanageworkassignments based onprioritizeddirection from management, near-term goals, and day-to-day levels of progress
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with others
• Ability to work within our company and team culture and take ownership of the tasks assigned to you
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and able to obtain andmaintaina U.S. Top Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience designing, integrating, and flyingCubesatspacecraft meant tooperatein LEO through GEO environmentsis a significant plus
• 1+ years of experience working in a classified environmentis a plus

US Salary Range

$129,000 - $171,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits .