Mechanisms Engineering Manager: Spacecraft Actuation & Gimbals

Menlo Ventures; Laguna Beach (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401K

Parental Leave

Job summary

True Anomaly seeks an innovative Mechanisms Engineering Manager to lead a small, agile team responsible for design, development, integration, and testing of precision, affordable motor-driven actuation systems for orbital platforms.

Reporting to the VP of New Product Engineering, this role combines hands-on technical leadership with people management, program planning, and product delivery across housing pointing, tracking, and deployment systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of professional experience in spacecraft mechanisms design, development, and test.
• Experience with motor-driven actuation systems and drive electronics.
• Experience with precision pointing or tracking mechanisms such as gimbals or antenna pointing systems.
• Ability to lead engineering teams and deliver complex hardware on schedule.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction for spacecraft mechanism systems, including precision gimbals, motor-driven actuators, and associated control electronics
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of mechanisms engineers, including a dedicated motor control engineer
• Oversee end-to-end mechanisms development lifecycle: requirements definition, mechanical and motor control design, analysis, procurement, integration, and test
• Lead the design and development of precision pointing, tracking, and articulation systems for on-orbit payload and antenna applications
• Partner closely with the GNC team to develop and validate bearing determination, stabilization, and closed-loop pointing control
• Develop and maintain mechanism performance budgets, including pointing accuracy, torque margin, lifetime, and disturbance analyses
• Ensure mechanism designs meet mission requirements for reliability, thermal performance, radiation tolerance, and SWaP constraints
• Manage schedules, budgets, staffing, and technical risk across multiple mechanism development programs
• Collaborate with avionics, systems engineering, software, and test teams to ensure seamless spacecraft integration
• Drive compliance with applicable aerospace standards and lead design reviews with internal stakeholders and customers
• Communicate product development status and issues with leadership and stakeholders

Job description

True Anomaly seeks an innovative Mechanisms Engineering Manager to lead a small, agile team responsible for design, development, integration, and testing of precision, affordable motor-driven actuation systems for orbital platforms.

Reporting to the VP of New Product Engineering, this role combines hands-on technical leadership with people management, program planning, and product delivery across housing pointing, tracking, and deployment systems.