Senior Mechanical Engineer- Spacecraft Design

Astranis; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Astranis seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own the complete lifecycle of spacecraft subsystems, mentor junior engineers, and drive hands-on hardware development. You will design, analyze, and iterate spaceflight structures while collaborating with cross-functional teams to enable reliable systems.

Ideal candidates bring aerospace experience, GD&T proficiency, and a passion for fast-paced hardware programs. Join a growing team building a new generation of satellites in California.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S in mechanical, aerospace engineering or equivalent.
• 5+ years of mechanical design or equivalent experience.
• Experience designing aerospace structures or mechanisms.
• Designed flight hardware for a prior satellite program.
• Experience with GD&T and designing for manufacturability.
• Proven ability to design, evaluate, and procure complex mechanical assemblies with 30-40 components in aerospace or similar.
• A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment with hands-on design and development.
• A motivated leader who has experience mentoring and supporting junior engineers.

Responsibilities

• Perform mechanical design and analysis of spaceflight structures and/or mechanisms.
• Complete ownership of product outcomes for spaceflight hardware.
• Develop requirements for launch and on-orbit environments, including loads, interfaces, and functional requirements.
• Manage system level schedule and integration requirements for your subsystems while working together with the Assembly, Integration, and Test team to enable a smooth build process.
• Develop and define design best practices for future programs.
• Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team.

Skills

Mechanical design

Leadership

Hands-on testing

Problem solving

Aerospace engineering

Education

B.S./M.S in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

GD&T

FEMAP

ANSYS

SolidWorks

Job description

Senior Mechanical Engineer- Spacecraft Design

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.

With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.

Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

As an Astranis Senior Mechanical Engineer you will own the complete lifecycle of various subsystems on our spacecraft. Whether it is incremental improvements or the introduction of a new system, you will work together with the various other teams at Astranis to make them a reality. In addition to being a significant individual on your own, you will mentor and train junior mechanical engineers on such projects. You must have a strong problem-solving background, hands‑on testing skills, and preferably some experience with spacecraft and/or aerospace engineering.

Role

• Perform mechanical design and analysis of spaceflight structures and/or mechanisms
• Complete ownership of product outcomes for spaceflight hardware
• Develop requirements for launch and on-orbit environments, including loads, interfaces, and functional requirements
• Manage system level schedule and integration requirements for your subsystems while working together with the Assembly, Integration, and Test team to enable a smooth build process
• Develop and define design best practices for future programs
• Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly‑growing team.

Requirements

• B.S. or M.S in mechanical, aerospace engineering or equivalent
• 5+ years of mechanical design or equivalent experience
• Experience designing aerospace structures or mechanisms
• Designed flight hardware for a prior satellite program
• Experience with GD&T and designing for manufacturability
• Demonstrated ability to personally design, evaluate, and procure complex mechanical assemblies with 30-40 components in aerospace or similar
• A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast‑paced environment with hands‑on design and development
• A motivated leader who has experience mentoring and supporting junior engineers
• Don’t meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria.

Bonus

• Experience in Assembly Integration and Test of spacecraft
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (Femap, Ansys, Solidworks Sim)
• Experience with defining vibration environments and running mechanical testing on spacecraft and spacecraft components
• Experience running a development program while delegating to a small team

What we offer:

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company‑subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on‑site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional‑grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

$145,000 - $225,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.