Project Engineering Development Program (3 Months - Path to Hire)

Socket.dev; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 41,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

Space Kinetic invites recent graduates to join a three-month Development Program at our El Segundo, California headquarters. This full-time, onsite internship places you on the Program Management team, pairing you with a mentor and 1–3 meaningful projects while you work toward real-world aerospace programs.

Successful interns may receive a full-time offer and a housing stipend for relocation. The program emphasizes collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related technical discipline
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities
• Experience using Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) to organize data
• Ability to obtain/maintain U.S. government security clearance

Responsibilities

• Coordinate spacecraft development programs from concept through manufacturing and testing
• Partner with engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain and operations to track progress
• Maintain integrated schedules and identify program risks
• Support hands-on project engineering and technical program management development

Skills

Strong organizational skills

Excellent written and verbal comunicat

MS Office proficiency

Attention to detail

Security clearance willingness

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in a technical field

Tools

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Planner

Jira

Asana

Smartsheet

Job description

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

Our Development Program:

This is a full-time, onsite program for three months at our headquarters in El Segundo, California.

Our Development Program is a pathway to a career at Space Kinetic. We hire recent graduates who are eager to solve cutting edge technical problems and contribute to high consequence dual use space missions. Interns become part of our core technical, operations, and business teams, work on mission-critical projects, and are evaluated for long-term career opportunities based on performance, initiative, collaboration, and ownership. Outstanding interns may receive a full-time employment offer before or upon completion of the program. Qualified participants relocating for the program may be eligible for a housing stipend, and applications are accepted year-round based on hiring needs.

Over the three-month program you are paired with a mentor, assigned one to three meaningful projects, and provide monthly progress updates to the Leadership team.

What You’ll Do:

As a member of the Program Management team, you will help coordinate the execution of spacecraft development programs from concept through manufacturing and testing. You will partner with engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and operations teams to track technical progress, maintain integrated schedules, identify program risks, and help ensure critical milestones are achieved. This role provides hands‑on experience supporting complex aerospace programs while developing the technical, organizational, and leadership skills required for a career in project engineering or technical program management.

What It Takes:

• Graduate of a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Engineering Management, Physics, Operations Management, Business, or a related technical discipline.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across technical and non-technical teams.
• Experience using Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word to organize data and communicate project status.
• Strong attention to detail when tracking schedules, documentation, and action items.
• Ability to maintain or obtain a Government Security Clearance.

What We’d Love:

• Experience with project management tools such as Microsoft Project, Microsoft Planner, Jira, Asana, Smartsheet, or similar software.
• Familiarity with engineering product development, manufacturing, or systems engineering environments.
• Experience coordinating projects, leading team initiatives, or managing competing priorities through academic, internship, research, or extracurricular work.
• Exposure to configuration management, engineering documentation, or technical change management processes.
• Understanding of engineering schedules, project planning, risk management, or program execution principles.
• Passion for the commercial and government space industry.
• Curiosity for solving complex technical challenges and supporting multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Where You’ll Be:

• The position is onsite at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.

Compensation:

This position is paid hourly based on the candidate’s highest completed degree at the time of hire:

• Bachelor’s degree: $30 per hour
• Master’s degree: $35 per hour
• PhD: $42 per hour

ITAR Requirements:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Space Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

Pay Range

The annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job‑related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.

$30 — $42 USD