Senior Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE) Engineer- Western Texas

Zachary Piper Solutions; Town of Texas (WI); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Relocation bonus

Temporary housing

Monthly stipend

Unlimited PTO

Medical/Dental/Vision

Job summary

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Senior Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE) Engineer to join a leading space systems organization in Western Texas. This onsite role involves designing, analyzing, and validating MGSE for spacecraft, with hands-on support for AIT and tooling development.

The ideal candidate has 3–10+ years in aerospace hardware, strong structural/design background, and experience with CAD tools and MGSE or heavy tooling.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering plus 3–10+ years in space hardware.
• Strong background in structural design, loads, and classical stress analysis.
• Experience designing MGSE or heavy tooling and supporting AIT activities.
• Proficiency with CAD tools and understanding of PDM/PLM environments.
• Knowledge of GD&T and FEM analysis is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design, modeling, and documentation of MGSE (jacks, rigs, lifts, test stands).
• Develop preliminary and detailed designs, layouts, and interface definitions.
• Create manufacturing drawings, ICDs, and tooling documentation for environmental testing.
• Support fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing on the engineering floor.
• Ensure designs meet requirements via structural assessments and trade studies.
• Provide loads, materials, and stress analysis input; contribute to integration flow.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Candidate may transition toward a manager-track role as the group expands.

Skills

MGSE design

Structural analysis

FEM analysis

Aerospace hardware

GD&T

Prototyping & hands-on

System integration support

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Inventor

SolidWorks

CATIA

Teamcenter

Windchill

3DEXPERIENCE

Job description

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Senior Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE) Engineer to join a leading space systems organization located in Western Texas through a 100% onsite work environment. The Senior MGSE Engineer will design, analyze, and validate Mechanical Ground Support Equipment for spacecraft systems while supporting tooling, integration flow, and hands-on AIT operations.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the mechanical design, modeling, and documentation of MGSE, including jacks, rigs, lifts, test stands, and benches supporting satellite and rocket hardware.
• Develop preliminary and detailed designs, including layouts, sketches, materials selection, tooling requirements, processes, and interface definitions with other mechanical subsystems.
• Produce and maintain manufacturing drawings, ICDs, and documentation supporting environmental test tooling (vibration, shock, TVAC, static load, integration).
• Support fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) activities on the engineering floor, working hands-on with technicians and integration teams.
• Ensure MGSE designs meet all technical requirements and performance criteria through structural assessments and engineering trade studies.
• Provide structural design input, including loads, materials, classical stress analysis, and FEM methods.
• Contribute to the overall integration flow and process improvement of mechanical tools and non-flight hardware systems.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams in a fast-paced environment.
• (Sell for senior candidates) Provide leadership and transition into an upcoming manager-track role as the group expands.

Qualifications:

• Education Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
• 3-10+ years of mechanical engineering experience supporting spacecraft, launch vehicles, satellite systems, or related space-based hardware.
• Strong background in structural design, materials, loads, classical stress analysis, and hands-on hardware support.
• Experience designing MGSE or similar heavy mechanical tooling (jigs, fixtures, stands, welded steel structures, lifts, etc.).
• Direct experience supporting AIT operations: assembly, integration, testing.
• Proficiency with CAD tools (Inventor preferred; SolidWorks/CATIA acceptable).
• Understanding of PDM/PLM environments (Vault, SolidWorks PDM, Teamcenter, Windchill, 3DEXPERIENCE, Aras, etc.) and drawing release workflows.
• Knowledge of GD&T (geometric dimensioning & tolerancing).
• Experience with FEM analysis tools (FEA, stress simulation) is a plus.

Compensation:

• Salary Range: $140,000 target + stock offerings (flexible higher for exceptional candidates)
• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO (unlimited after 90 days), Sick Leave as required by law, and Holidays
• Additional Benefits: $10,000 relocation bonus, 5K for temporary housing, monthly stipend $750-$1000/ month, unlimited PTO, RSUs

Clearance Level:

Must be eligible to work in the United States.

Location:

100% onsite in Western TX

Keywords: MGSE, Mechanical Ground Support Equipment, spacecraft structures, satellite integration, rocket integration, AIT, Assembly Integration and Test, structural design, loads analysis, stress analysis, materials engineering, welded steel assemblies, jigs, fixtures, test stands, lifts, rigs, benches, CAD, Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, PDM, PLM, Teamcenter, Windchill, 3DEXPERIENCE, Aras, GD&T, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, FEM, FEA, structural analysis, integration tooling, non‑flight hardware design, interface control drawings, environmental test tooling