Senior Mechanisms Engineer — Spaceflight Hardware

Cowboy Space Corp.; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per calendar year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Daily lunch in the office and a fully

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA seeks a Mechanisms Engineer to own critical vehicle mechanisms from concept through flight. You will work with propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, and operations to design, build, and test integrated systems.

The role emphasizes rapid iteration, ownership, and solving complex mechanical challenges in a startup-like environment with a mission to enable space-based energy infrastructure.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 5+ years designing mechanisms for flight vehicles or high-performance hardware.
• Experience taking hardware from concept through build, integration, and test.
• Strong fundamentals in structural mechanics, kinematics, materials, and manufacturing.
• CAD and drafting to ASME Y14.5 GD&T.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanism subsystem from concept to flight.
• Drive structural and kinematic design for minimum mass.
• Balance performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule.
• Perform hand calculations, FEA, tolerance stacks; validate with tests.
• Define and execute qualification and acceptance tests.
• Develop engineering drawings, models, and release docs.
• Work on the factory floor with manufacturing for rapid iteration.
• Troubleshoot anomalies and implement design improvements.
• Support launch operations and post-flight refurbishment planning.

Skills

Mechanisms design

Structural mechanics

CAD

FEA

Flight hardware experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

CATIA

Creo

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA seeks a Mechanisms Engineer to own critical vehicle mechanisms from concept through flight. You will work with propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, and operations to design, build, and test integrated systems.

The role emphasizes rapid iteration, ownership, and solving complex mechanical challenges in a startup-like environment with a mission to enable space-based energy infrastructure.