Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Astro Digital; Littleton (CO); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k matching

Floating holidays

Sick days

PTO

Job summary

Astro Digital designs, builds, and operates satellite systems for earth observation and other missions. The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer leads the mechanical design of satellite buses from proposal through launch readiness, working with structural and thermal engineers to ensure robust, manufacturable solutions.

You will create CAD models, layouts, drawings, and tolerancing plans, while mentoring junior engineers and coordinating with test and integration teams.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical or Aerospace engineering.
• 7–15 years as a mechanical design engineer in aerospace.
• Proficiency (>5,000 hrs) in CAD systems (SolidWorks or Onshape).
• Proficiency creating part and assembly drawings.
• Familiar with CAD version control / PDM systems and releases.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design of satellite buses from proposal to integration.
• Collaborate with structural and thermal engineers on designs.
• Create manufacturing, inspection and assembly drawings.
• Perform design calculations and basic FEA analyses.
• Mentor junior engineers and support design reviews.

Skills

CAD proficiency

GD&T', 'tolerancing

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering

Aerospace background

Tools

SolidWorks

Onshape

PDM/version control

FEA basics

Vibration testing

Thermal analysis basics

Job description

Astro Digital designs, builds, and operates a diverse range of small satellite systems supporting space-based turnkey missions for several business applications, including earth observation, communications, in-orbit demonstrations, risk reduction, science, and exploration. Astro Digital is headquartered in Santa Clara, California with roughly 100 employees and infrastructure around the globe.

Position Summary

The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer is responsible for leading the mechanical design of satellite buses (50 kg to 500 kg), from proposals through to final integration prior to launch.

The ideal candidate is a passionate, self-motivated mechanical design engineer with deep experience in the design of space systems and components. They would be comfortable creating parts in a CAD system, laying out entire bus structures with the guidance of structural engineers, working with thermal engineers to specify coatings and thermal solutions, and creating manufacturing, inspection, and assembly drawings. The candidate should be comfortable with GD&T and tolerancing.

Bonus skills include experience with mechanism design and testing, including design calculations such as tolerance and torque margin analysis.

In addition to design responsibilities, the candidate would be able to assist more junior mechanical engineers in layout and component design, drawing creation, and mechanical test planning and execution.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or closely related field
• 7-15 years of experience as a mechanical design engineer in the aerospace field
• Proficiency (>5,000 hrs) in one or more CAD systems (Solidworks or Onshape preferred)
• Proficiency creating part and assembly drawings
• Comfort with CAD version control / PDM systems and release processes
• Comfort performing design calculations and basic FEA analyses
• Self-motivated work ethic with a desire to learn new aspects of mechanical design of satellites
• Willingness and ability to assist and shepherd less experienced engineers
• Good written, verbal, and virtual communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supervising or mentoring junior engineers, including participating in reviews of designs and drawings
• Experience working concurrently with structural and thermal engineers to develop designs
• Comfort producing proposal renders of CAD models
• Experience supporting vibration tests (random vibration, sine sweep, sine burst, etc)
• Familiarity with standards such as NASA-STD-5020 (bolted joints), AIAA-S-114 (mechanisms), NASA-STD-5017 (mechanisms), NASA-STD-7000 (environments)
• Familiarity with SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare requirements
• Possesses a solid understanding of thermal environments and effects

Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance options, 401k matching, 10 floating holidays, 5 sick days, and 3 weeks (15 days) of PTO per year.

This position requires access to export-controlled commodities, technical data, technology, software, and services. U.S. citizenship, U.S. legal permanent resident status, or protected person status under 22 CFR §120.15 and 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3) is required.

Job Type: Full Time

Salary Range: $130k – 150k annually

Location: Hybrid (minimum 2-3 days/wk onsite) in Littleton, CO