Senior Space Mechanical Engineer - Lead, Structures

Viasat; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 181,000 - 337,000; Full time

Job summary

Viasat, a leader in space infrastructure, seeks a Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer to drive the design, development, qualification, and production transition of complex spacecraft hardware. You will mentor engineers and lead cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, reliability, and supply chain to deliver high-impact spaceflight solutions.

You will oversee critical programs from concept through qualification and flight readiness, applying advanced engineering principles to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 12+ years of mechanical engineering experience with spaceflight hardware development.
• Proven top-level technical leadership for major mechanical subsystems on spacecraft/launch vehicles.
• Deep mastery of structural, thermal, dynamic, and environmental requirements for space applications.
• Advanced CAD experience with Creo, SolidWorks, or NX.
• Experience with ANSYS, Nastran, Simcenter, Thermal Desktop.
• Expertise in environmental qualification and acceptance testing (vibration, shock, TVAC, thermal cycling).
• Ability to independently solve complex problems with minimal direction.
• Strong communication skills with executive-level stakeholders.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for satellite structures, mechanisms, electronics packaging, and deployable systems.
• Lead trade studies and establish engineering solutions balancing performance, schedule, cost, and risk.
• Own mechanical subsystems from concept through qualification and flight production.
• Direct analyses for structural, thermal, vibration, and environmental performance.
• Establish requirements, specs, standards, and qualification strategies across programs.
• Lead hardware development, integration, test, and root-cause investigations.
• Chair Design Reviews (PDR/CDR/TRR/FRR) for programs.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration with systems, thermal, electrical, manufacturing, reliability, and supply chain teams.
• Mentor staff and junior engineers across teams.
• Support multiple locations (San Jose/SF Bay area and NYC area) as needed.

Skills

Spaceflight hardware

Technical leadership

Structural analysis

CAD tools

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical/Aerospace engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

Doctorate in Mechanical/Aerospace (preferred)

Tools

Creo

SolidWorks

NX

ANSYS

Nastran

Simcenter

Thermal Desktop

Job description

Viasat, a leader in space infrastructure, seeks a Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer to drive the design, development, qualification, and production transition of complex spacecraft hardware. You will mentor engineers and lead cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, reliability, and supply chain to deliver high-impact spaceflight solutions.

You will oversee critical programs from concept through qualification and flight readiness, applying advanced engineering principles to