Senior Mechanism Simulation Engineer

Space Kinetic Corp.; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity-Based Compensation

401(k) retirement plan

Highly Competitive PTO

Paid holidays + winter break

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Performance-based bonus opportunities

Job summary

Space Kinetic Corp. is seeking a Senior Mechanism Simulation Engineer in El Segundo, CA, to lead structural analysis and testing of innovative space hardware, including a flight-ready mechanism payload.

The role requires extensive experience with CAD/CAE tools and a track record in vibration and dynamics testing to ensure mission readiness. You will collaborate with multiple engineering teams, drive design improvements from test data, and support development toward a production payload facility

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Structural Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience in structural analysis for spacecraft, launch vehicles, or equivalent aerospace hardware.
• Experience with space vehicle structural load requirements across all mission phases.
• Ability to derive structural design limit loads and requirements.
• Familiarity with NASA/DoD/ECSS standards for margins and safety.
• Experience with CAD/CAE packages (NASTRAN, FEMAP, ANSYS, SolidWorks, NX, Simcenter 3D, Vibroacoustic, Thermal Desktop, NX Motion, Amesim).
• Ability to develop mathematical models and simulations for margins, kinematics, dynamics.
• Experience in system and subsystem dynamics & kinematics testing of flight hardware.

Responsibilities

• Partner with manufacturing/engineering to develop the Whirlwind Payload design and analyze flight hardware.
• Support the design team with detailed mechanism simulations of prototype and flight hardware.
• Assist with development phases, provide CAD feedback and source components with vendors.
• Design validation and verification tests to drive design improvements.
• Scale and optimize mechanism designs to enhance flight system performance.
• Conduct hardware validation, verification and flight hardware qualification tests.

Skills

Structural analysis

Kinematics simulations

Test data processing

Mathematical modeling

Vibration & vibroacoustics

System dynamics testing

CAD collaboration

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Structural Engineering

Tools

NASTRAN

FEMAP

ANSYS

SolidWorks

NX

Simcenter 3D

Vibroacoustic

Thermal Desktop

NX Motion

Amesim

Job description

Who We Are

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations - one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different - an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures - where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus - and unlock a 'one-to-many' system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

A New Paradigm For Space Operations

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations - one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different - an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures - where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus - and unlock a 'one-to-many' system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do

The Senior Mechanism Simulation Engineer will be an integral member of the Mechanical Engineering team. The primary responsibilities include the design analysis and test of prototype and flight hardware from the proprietary innovative electromechanical payload of Space Kinetic's core technology to achieve our mission, the flight demonstration unit, within the next 2 years, and the full production payload facility. This role is pivotal and requires high fidelity structural and kinematics analyses experience aligned with the proper kinematics testing (functional and qualification), test data processing to inform all necessary design changes that will drive the development of our future space mission operations success.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the manufacturing/engineering teams to develop the innovative Whirlwind Payload design and analyze the corresponding flight hardware.
• Support the design team with detailed mechanisms simulations of the prototype and flight hardware.
• Assist with the development phases, conceiving and verifying the mechanism design, providing feedback to the CAD designs for manufacturing, and working closely with vendors to source components.
• Design the validation and verification (V&V) test that will drive the prototype design improvements and meet space operations mission requirements.
• Scaling and optimizing the mechanism designs to enhance the flight system performance.
• Hardware validation and verification as well as flight hardware qualification tests.

What It Takes

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Structural Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience in structural analysis for spacecraft, launch vehicles, or equivalent aerospace hardware.
• Experience in space vehicle structural load requirements across all mission phases: ground handling, transportation, launch/ascent, separation events, on-orbit operations, and disposal, is highly desirable.
• Ability to understand mission concepts, trajectory, motion kinematics and flight dynamics, derive structural design limit loads and requirements a plus.
• Understanding of design limit loads, calculate mechanical margins of safety utilizing applicable factors of safety per standards (NASA, DoD, ECSS, etc.).
• Experience with CAD and CAE packages (NASTRAN, FEMAP, ANSYS, SolidWorks, NX, Simcenter 3D, Vibroacoustic, Thermal Desktop, NX Motion, Amesim etc.) is necessary.
• Ability to develop mathematical models and perform simulations to calculate structural margins, kinematics simulations, dynamics environments.
• Experience in designing and executing system and subsystem dynamics and kinematics testing of flight hardware, understanding test data acquisition and adept at implementing design improvements based on test data.
• Evaluate static, dynamic, transient, shock, random and sine vibration as well as vibroacoustic and kinematics environments.
• Work closely with Structures, Thermal, GNC, Propulsion, manufacturing and System Engineering functional teams.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Government Security Clearance.

What We’d Love

• Advanced Degrees (Master's or Ph.D.) in similar discipline are highly desirable with corresponding technical expertise in linear, nonlinear and motion dynamics analysis.
• Experience with space-rated structural mechanisms component design analysis and test.
• Robotics experience, particularly in simulating articulation and complex mechanisms
• Experience working with rotating machinery
• Hands-on experience in testing mechanical hardware for space operations.
• Passion for technology development of complex space operations.
• Demonstrated experience in spacecraft or launch vehicle system development.
• Experience in the proposal writing process for the acquisition of grants and contracts.
• Ability to build and maintain a network of talented individuals. Prioritizes organizational and planning skills.

Where You’ll Be

• The position is onsite in El Segundo, CA.

What We Offer

• Equity-Based Compensation
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 3.5% company match
• Highly Competitive PTO
• Paid company holidays + winter break
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Unique Performance-based bonus opportunities

ITAR Requirements

This position is subject to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Candidates must be a U.S. Person (this includes U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, Protected Individual as defined by law), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here

Equal Employment Opportunity

Space Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

The annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.

Pay Range: $140,000 USD - $200,000 USD