Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer II

CesiumAstro; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 115,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock options

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

Retirement plans

Job summary

A pioneering aerospace company in Colorado is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer II to join its Internal Missions team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in mechanical engineering with at least 6 years of experience, particularly in spacecraft design and development. Responsibilities include overseeing mechanical designs, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and directly impacting the success of satellite missions. The role offers competitive compensation between $115,000 - $135,000 annually.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years of experience in spacecraft mechanical engineering.
• Experience in conducting architectural trade studies.
• Familiarity with spacecraft thermal architectures.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for mechanical aspects of spacecraft.
• Work on satellite development from concept through space flight.
• Collaborate closely with engineering and program management teams.

Skills

Mechanical analysis

Electronics packaging

Computer-aided design (CAD)

Thermal architecture

Spacecraft propulsion

Mechanical design

EMI/EMC mitigation techniques

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Ansys Mechanical

SolidWorks Simulation

Thermal Desktop

Job description

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands‑on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward‑thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer II to our Internal Missions team. If you enjoy working in a startup environment and are passionate about developing space hardware for leading‑edge communications satellites, we would like to hear from you.

In this position, you will be responsible for mechanical aspects of Cesium spacecraft, subsystems, and interfaces through all phases of the development process. The ideal candidate will be versatile and proficient in mechanical analysis, electronics packaging, computer‑aided design (CAD), mechanical interfaces, thermal architecture, spacecraft propulsion, deployable and actuated structures, and environmental qualification of spacecraft.

As a Cesium spacecraft team member, you will work on a small team to develop satellites and put them in orbit. You will be responsible for mechanical designs from concept through space flight including requirements definition, architecture trades and block diagrams, analysis, manufacturing, testing, qualification, and in‑orbit support.

Your work will have a direct impact on the success of the company. You will work closely with the engineering team, program management to ensure the successful build and launch of our satellite. Element will be the largest, most powerful rideshare satellite in LEO. We’re launching eight of them in the next four years, starting with our first launch this year. Together, our small team will design, build, and iterate to reduce mass and cost while increasing performance, reliability, and manufacturability of a new generation of satellites. Let’s build!

Job Requirements And Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering from an accredited university or institution.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience (including CubeSat projects) in spacecraft mechanical engineering to include electronics packaging, thermal, shock, vibration, stress dynamics, and cost. A Master's degree may count as two years of experience.
• Experience in conducting architectural trade studies including parametric and first‑order cost and physical analysis.
• Experience with professional mechanical and FEA CAD tools, such as Ansys Mechanical, SolidWorks Simulation, and Thermal Desktop.
• Experience with CNC manufacturing and GD&T.
• Experience with advanced aerospace manufacturing and materials including sandwich panels and carbon composites.
• Proficiency in detailed mechanical design (3D CAD, drawings, etc.).
• Experience designing and manufacturing mechanisms and mechanical actuators.
• Experience with EMI/EMC mitigation techniques.
• Familiarity with spacecraft thermal architectures including heat pipes, phase change materials, contact resistance, and surface finishes as well as fundamental understandings of thermodynamics in a spacecraft context.
• Familiarity with launch and LEO environments (thermal, shock, vibe, radiation, etc).
• Familiarity with design for test, manufacturability, assembly, and reliability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Experience

• Python, C++, or other programming languages.
• Experience with two or more spacecraft structural and mechanical architectures which drives your vision for the next generation of spacecraft.
• CubeSat experience.
• Robotics and control systems experience.
• Spacecraft propulsion system experience.Gyroscopic system experience.
• PCBA experience.

$115,000 - $135,000 a year

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full‑time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.