Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Design Engineer

Apex; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Apex

Top-tier healthcare

PTO 15–20 days

401(k) matching

Parental leave

Catered lunch

Playa Vista office

Competitive environment

Job summary

Apex is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the design, analysis, and development of spacecraft hardware from concept through qualification and flight. You’ll collaborate across engineering and production to deliver lightweight, reliable flight hardware.

You will own 3D CAD modeling, FEA/hand calculations, material selection, and production-ready drawings with GD&T while mentoring peers and driving designs to manufacturing success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of professional experience in mechanical design and hardware development, preferably within aerospace, spacecraft, launch vehicles, or other complex hardware environments.
• Strong proficiency in 3D CAD and engineering drawings; experience with NX preferred.
• Strong understanding of structural mechanics, FEA, and hand calculations.
• Strong knowledge of GD&T and engineering drawing standards.

Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical design and development of spacecraft structures, subsystems, and components from concept through flight.
• Develop complex 3D CAD models, assemblies, and detailed engineering drawings for flight hardware.
• Perform structural analysis using FEA and hand calculations to validate designs against launch and on-orbit environments.
• Drive design trades and optimize hardware for mass, structural performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule.
• Define material, manufacturing process, and finish selections for spaceflight hardware.
• Create and release production-ready drawings using GD&T and applicable engineering standards.
• Collaborate with electrical, thermal, propulsion, manufacturing, quality, and systems teams for integration.
• Support hardware builds on the production floor, resolve issues, and iterate designs.
• Lead hardware through assembly, integration, qualification, and environmental testing.
• Analyze test results and drive corrective design changes.
• Lead design reviews and communicate technical decisions, risks, and tradeoffs.
• Mentor junior engineers and improve mechanical design practices.

Skills

3D CAD

NX

FEA

GD&T

Structural analysis

Mechanical design

Hand calculations

Aerospace hardware

Engineering drawings

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX

Job description

Apex is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the design, analysis, and development of spacecraft hardware from concept through qualification and flight. You’ll collaborate across engineering and production to deliver lightweight, reliable flight hardware.

You will own 3D CAD modeling, FEA/hand calculations, material selection, and production-ready drawings with GD&T while mentoring peers and driving designs to manufacturing success.