Senior Mechanical Engineer

CesiumAstro, Inc.; Westminster (CO); Hybrid; USD 113,000 - 136,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health, dental, vision

HSA, FSA

Retirement plans

Job summary

CesiumAstro in the United States is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to join the Internal Missions team. You will oversee mechanical aspects of spacecraft through all development phases, from concept through spaceflight.

The role requires expertise in CAD/FEA, electronics packaging, thermal architecture, and qualification tests. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to design reliable, manufacturable, and cost-effective space hardware for next-generation satellites.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering from an accredited university.
• 6+ years of spacecraft mechanical engineering experience, including electronics packaging, thermal, and stress analysis.
• Experience with architectural trade studies and first-order cost and physical analysis.
• Proficiency with CAD/FEA tools (Ansys Mechanical, SolidWorks Simulation) and Thermal Desktop.
• Experience with CNC manufacturing and GD&T.
• Familiarity with spacecraft thermal architectures and launch/LEO environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for mechanical aspects of Cesium spacecraft from concept through space flight.
• Perform architecture trades, block diagrams, analyses, and design iterations.
• Design, manufacture, test, qualification, and in-orbit support of space hardware.
• Collaborate with engineering and program management to ensure successful builds and launches.
• Drive mass and cost reduction while improving reliability and manufacturability.

Skills

Spacecraft mechanical engineering

Thermal analysis

Electronics packaging

EMI/EMC mitigation

Thermodynamics in spacecraft context

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Ansys Mechanical

SolidWorks Simulation

Thermal Desktop

CNC manufacturing

GD&T

Job description

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Senior Mechanical Engineer to our Internal Missions team. If you enjoy working in a startup environment and are passionate about developing space hardware for leading-edge communications satellites, we would like to hear from you.

In this position, you will be responsible for mechanical aspects of Cesium spacecraft, subsystems, and interfaces through all phases of the development process. The ideal candidate will be versatile and proficient in mechanical analysis, electronics packaging, computer-aided design (CAD), mechanical interfaces, thermal architecture, spacecraft propulsion, deployable and actuated structures, and environmental qualification of spacecraft.

As a Cesium spacecraft team member, you will work on a small team to develop satellites and put them in orbit. You will be responsible for mechanical designs from concept through space flight including requirements definition, architecture trades and block diagrams, analysis, manufacturing, testing, qualification, and in-orbit support.

Your work will have a direct impact on the success of the company. You will work closely with the engineering team, program management to ensure the successful build and launch of our satellite. Element will be the largest, most powerful rideshare satellite in LEO. We’re launching eight of them in the next four years, starting with our first launch this year. Together, our small team will design, build, and iterate to reduce mass and cost while increasing performance, reliability, and manufacturability of a new generation of satellites. Let’s build!

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering from an accredited university or institution.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience (including CubeSat projects) in spacecraftmechanical engineering to include electronics packaging, thermal, shock, vibration, stress dynamics, and cost. A Master's degree may count as two years of experience.
• Experience in conducting architectural trade studies including parametric and first-order cost and physical analysis.
• Experience with professional mechanical and FEA CAD tools, such as Ansys Mechanical, SolidWorks Simulation, and Thermal Desktop.
• Experience with CNC manufacturing and GD&T.
• Experience with advanced aerospace manufacturing and materials including sandwich panels and carbon composites.
• Proficiency in detailed mechanical design (3D CAD, drawings, etc.).
• Experience designing and manufacturing mechanisms and mechanical actuators.
• Experience with EMI/EMC mitigation techniques.
• Familiarity with spacecraft thermal architectures including heat pipes, phase change materials, contact resistance, and surface finishes as well as fundamental understandings of thermodynamics in a spacecraft context.
• Familiarity with launch and LEO environments (thermal, shock, vibe, radiation, etc).
• Familiarity with design for test, manufacturability, assembly, and reliability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Python, C++, or other programming languages.
• Experience with two or more spacecraft structural and mechanical architectures which drives your vision for the next generation of spacecraft.
• CubeSat experience.
• Robotics and control systems experience.
• Spacecraft propulsion system experience.
• Gyroscopic system experience.
• PCBA experience.

$113,000 - $136,000 a year

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard torace, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.