Senior Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Structures & Prototyping

Socket.dev; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Lunch in office and stocked kitchen

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own spacecraft hardware from concept through flight, collaborating with propulsion, power, avionics, GNC, and software teams to deliver flight-ready designs.

You will design structures, mechanisms, and thermal systems for space environments and drive rapid prototyping, build, and test cycles to accelerate development, ensuring reliability and manufacturability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of experience designing mechanical systems for aerospace or high-performance hardware.
• Experience taking hardware from concept through build and test.
• Strong fundamentals in mechanics, materials, and thermal systems.
• Proficiency with CAD (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, or similar).
• Experience working in fast-paced, hardware-focused development environments.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical design of spacecraft components and assemblies from concept through production.
• Design and develop structures, mechanisms, and thermal solutions for space environments.
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation, drawings, and release processes.
• Perform analysis including FEA, thermal, and tolerance stack-ups to validate designs.
• Drive rapid prototyping, build, and test cycles to accelerate hardware development.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with propulsion, power, avionics, GNC, and software engineering teams.
• Support integration, environmental testing, and launch readiness activities.
• Troubleshoot hardware issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement design improvements.
• Work with suppliers and manufacturers to ensure high-quality, scalable production.
• Balance performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule in design decisions.

Skills

CAD

Mechanical design

Aerospace hardware

Prototyping

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX/SolidWorks

FEA tools

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own spacecraft hardware from concept through flight, collaborating with propulsion, power, avionics, GNC, and software teams to deliver flight-ready designs.

You will design structures, mechanisms, and thermal systems for space environments and drive rapid prototyping, build, and test cycles to accelerate development, ensuring reliability and manufacturability.