Senior Space Structures Engineer

Starpath Robotics Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

Professional growth

Impactful work

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Starpath Robotics Inc. seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer (Structures) to own the structural architecture, design, analysis, and qualification of solar array hardware for space applications.

You will lead lightweight structures, drive mass reduction, and coordinate across engineering and manufacturing to resolve complex, flight-qualified challenges. Qualified candidates bring 6+ years in mechanical or structural engineering, strong CAD/FEA skills, and experience delivering hardware from concept

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, structural engineering, or a related discipline.
• 6+ years of professional mechanical-design or structural-engineering experience.
• Demonstrated ownership of complex structural hardware from concept through qualification or production.
• Strong command of structural mechanics, load paths, joints, stress, stiffness, buckling, fatigue, and structural dynamics.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and detailed engineering drawings.
• Advanced experience performing and reviewing structural analysis using hand calculations and FEA.
• Experience defining structural test programs and correlating analytical models with test data.
• Hands‑on experience building, testing, troubleshooting, and improving mechanical hardware.

Responsibilities

• Own structural systems from architecture through detailed design, analysis, fabrication, qualification, and flight.
• Establish structural requirements, load cases, factors of safety, margin policies, and verification approaches.
• Lead architectural trades involving mass, stiffness, strength, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and system performance.
• Develop efficient load paths and lightweight primary and secondary structures, interfaces, brackets, housings, and mechanisms.
• Perform and review hand calculations and FEA covering stress, stiffness, buckling, fatigue, joints, thermal distortion, modal response, and dynamic environments.
• Develop and maintain structural models, loads documentation, margin summaries, and verification records.
• Own material, fastener, joint, finish, and manufacturing-process selections for the launch and space environments.
• Define structural qualification and acceptance-test programs covering static load, vibration, shock, and modal testing.
• Lead test-to-model correlation and use test results to improve both hardware and analytical models.
• Lead structural design reviews, failure investigations, risk-reduction efforts, and corrective actions.
• Work across thermal, avionics, mechanisms, controls, and systems teams to define interfaces and resolve coupled design challenges.
• Partner with manufacturing and suppliers to develop repeatable fabrication, inspection, assembly, and production processes.
• Identify structural risks early and create focused analysis or testing plans to retire them.
• Mentor engineers and establish sound structural design, analysis, documentation, and test practices.
• Drive mass reduction and design simplification without compromising structural integrity.

Skills

Structural mechanics

Leadership & coordination

FEA analysis

3D CAD

System interfaces

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering / aerospace engineering / structural engineering or related

Tools

3D CAD

GD&T

Nastran/Abaqus/Ansys/Femap

Job description

Starpath Robotics Inc. seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer (Structures) to own the structural architecture, design, analysis, and qualification of solar array hardware for space applications.

You will lead lightweight structures, drive mass reduction, and coordinate across engineering and manufacturing to resolve complex, flight-qualified challenges. Qualified candidates bring 6+ years in mechanical or structural engineering, strong CAD/FEA skills, and experience delivering hardware from concept