Principal Mechanical Engineer

InnoForge; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Equity

Job summary

InnoForge in the Los Angeles area is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead the mechanical architecture of its next-generation lunar rover platform. This is a senior, individual contributor role shaping design, analysis, testing and qualification for flight hardware.

You will collaborate across mechanical, avionics, software and systems teams, guiding architecture from early concept through environment testing and flight readiness, with ownership over critical decisions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of mechanical engineering in flight hardware.
• Hardware that has flown in space.
• Hands-on mechanical design and hardware development.
• Experience taking hardware from concept to qualification.
• Expertise in mechanisms, electromechanical systems, structures or dynamics.
• Ability to work in evolving requirements in a startup environment.
• Experience with planetary rovers or space mechanisms is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop the mechanical architecture of the rover platform.
• Collaborate with mechanical, avionics, software and systems teams.
• Own mechanical design decisions from concept to flight qualification.
• Lead design, analysis, testing and qualification activities.
• Support architecture to flight readiness over 12-24 months.

Skills

Spaceflight hardware

Mechanical design

Vibration & vacuum design

Systems engineering mindset

Rapid hardware development

Tools

FEA software

Job description

Salary: Up to $200,000 + equity

Type: Full-time, On-site

An early-stage space technology company in the Los Angeles area is looking for a Principal Mechanical Engineer to play a leading technical role in the development of its next-generation lunar rover platform.

The company has already developed and tested multiple generations of rover hardware and is now entering a critical phase of the programme - moving from prototype systems toward a flight-quality lunar vehicle.

This is not a role focused on incremental updates to an established platform. The next vehicle will require significant architectural change, giving the successful engineer substantial ownership over how major mechanical systems are designed, analysed, tested and ultimately qualified for flight.

The Role

You will work closely with the wider mechanical, avionics, software and systems teams to develop the mechanical architecture of the next rover platform.

The team is deliberately looking for someone with enough technical depth to operate as a senior individual contributor and help set the engineering standard across the mechanical function.

Depending on your background, your expertise could sit within one or more of the following areas:

• Electromechanical actuators - motors, gearboxes, bearings, lubrication, mechanisms and component sizing for space environments
• Spacecraft mechanisms and deployables - deployment systems, moving assemblies, structural mechanisms and flight hardware
• Structures and dynamics - structural design, FEA, vibration, modal analysis and qualification of spacecraft hardware

You will be involved from early architecture and clean-sheet design through detailed engineering, prototype builds, environmental testing, qualification and flight readiness.

What They Are Looking For

You will ideally bring:

• 5+ years of mechanical engineering experience within spacecraft, lunar vehicles, launch vehicles or other flight hardware
• Significant experience developing hardware that has flown in space
• Strong hands-on mechanical design and hardware development capability
• Experience taking hardware from early concepts through build, test and qualification
• Deep technical expertise within mechanisms, electromechanical systems, structures or structural dynamics
• Experience making component-level engineering decisions rather than purely coordinating engineering activities
• Strong understanding of designing hardware for vibration, thermal, vacuum and other demanding space environments
• The ability to work effectively where requirements and architectures are still evolving
• Experience within a fast-moving new-space, startup or similarly hardware-focused engineering environment

Experience with planetary rovers, lunar mobility systems, landers, spacecraft mechanisms or robotic space systems would be particularly relevant.

Why Join?

The successful engineer will join at a point where major technical decisions are still being made.

Rather than inheriting a mature vehicle, you will help define the mechanical architecture of the next platform and work directly on the hardware intended to become the company's flight vehicle.

The company is well funded, growing its engineering organisation and working toward major development and testing milestones over the next 12-24 months.

For an engineer who enjoys clean-sheet hardware development, difficult mechanical problems and seeing designs progress from CAD through testing toward flight, this offers significant technical ownership.

Competitive salary and equity is on offer for the succesful candidate, as well as relocation support.