Senior Mechanical Engineer - Space Structures & Solar Power

Starpath Robotics Inc.; Hawthorne, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Professional growth opportunities

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Starpath Robotics Inc. in Los Angeles (Hawthorne) seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer (Structures) to own the structural architecture, analysis, and qualification of solar array hardware. You will resolve complex design and integration challenges across flight production for a lunar and Mars-ready space systems portfolio.

The role requires leading structural tests, reducing mass, and collaborating with manufacturing, thermal, and controls teams to deliver reliable, repeatable space hardware.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, structural engineering, or a related discipline
• 6+ years of professional mechanical-design or structural-engineering experience
• Demonstrated ownership of complex structural hardware from concept through qualification or production
• Strong command of structural mechanics, load paths, joints, stress, stiffness, buckling, fatigue, and structural dynamics
• Proficiency with 3D CAD, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and detailed engineering drawings
• Advanced experience performing and reviewing structural analysis using hand calculations and FEA
• Experience defining structural test programs and correlating analytical models with test data
• Hands‑on experience building, testing, troubleshooting, and improving mechanical hardware
• Ability to lead technical decisions, communicate risk clearly, and coordinate across engineering and manufacturing teams
• Evidence of exceptional engineering ability

Responsibilities

• Own structural systems from architecture through detailed design, analysis, fabrication, qualification, and flight
• Establish structural requirements, load cases, factors of safety, margin policies, and verification approaches
• Lead architectural trades involving mass, stiffness, strength, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and system performance
• Develop efficient load paths and lightweight primary and secondary structures, interfaces, brackets, housings, and mechanisms
• Perform and review hand calculations and FEA covering stress, stiffness, buckling, fatigue, joints, thermal distortion, modal response, and dynamic environments
• Develop and maintain structural models, loads documentation, margin summaries, and verification records
• Own material, fastener, joint, finish, and manufacturing-process selections for the launch and space environments
• Define structural qualification and acceptance-test programs covering static load, vibration, shock, and modal testing
• Lead test-to-model correlation and use test results to improve both hardware and analytical models
• Lead structural design reviews, failure investigations, risk-reduction efforts, and corrective actions
• Work across thermal, avionics, mechanisms, controls, and systems teams to define interfaces and resolve coupled design challenges
• Partner with manufacturing and suppliers to develop repeatable fabrication, inspection, assembly, and production processes
• Identify structural risks early and create focused analysis or testing plans to retire them
• Mentor engineers and establish sound structural design, analysis, documentation, and test practices
• Drive mass reduction and design simplification without compromising structural integrity

Skills

Structural engineering

3D CAD

FEA analysis

Technical leadership

Communication

Space-grade design

Education

BSc Mechanical/Aerospace/Structural

Advanced degree (MS/PhD)

Tools

Nastran

Abaqus

Ansys

Femap

Job description

Starpath Robotics Inc. in Los Angeles (Hawthorne) seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer (Structures) to own the structural architecture, analysis, and qualification of solar array hardware. You will resolve complex design and integration challenges across flight production for a lunar and Mars-ready space systems portfolio.

The role requires leading structural tests, reducing mass, and collaborating with manufacturing, thermal, and controls teams to deliver reliable, repeatable space hardware.