Senior Spaceflight Mechanical Engineer: Flight Hardware Lead

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 105,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks a Mechanical Engineer to advance spaceflight hardware across missions from concept through launch. You will lead cross‑discipline teams, oversee mechanical and thermal systems, manage interfaces, and ensure schedules and budgets align with mission requirements.

This on‑site, leadership role requires a proven track record in space hardware development, integration and test, plus the ability to travel to suppliers and sponsors and to obtain

Qualifications

• BS in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering.
• 5+ years of experience leading space mission projects.
• Ability to lead a major flight subsystem through concept, design, test and integration.
• Experience managing schedules and reporting deficiencies and accomplishments.
• Experience working on technical hardware development across multiple organizations.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Willingness to travel to suppliers and sponsors and work variable schedules during environmental testing.
• US citizenship and eligibility for security clearances.

Responsibilities

• Be responsible for the capability and consistency of the mechanical systems across the mission ensuring that the teams developing these systems meet mission requirements and needs.
• Be intimately involved in the integration and organization of the teams across the flight systems, including mechanical and thermal systems, system engineering, electrical systems and other technical discipline areas.
• Manage the development of interfaces and influence schedules and budgets, and provide mechanical system engineering technical oversight of all hardware element systems.
• Be responsible for the mass budgets across all elements of the systems in a challenging and dynamic environment.
• Provide inputs to program level risks and mitigations, manage communications and data flows across the organizations and have an impact on launch, cruise and flight operations conducted on Titan, the moon of Saturn.
• Understand that this position requires a successful track record of space flight hardware development experience, integration and testing experience and this key leadership position requires an on campus presence in a highly collaborative environment.

Skills

Leadership

Systems integration

Schedule management

Team collaboration

Space hardware development

US citizenship

Education

BS in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

MS in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks a Mechanical Engineer to advance spaceflight hardware across missions from concept through launch. You will lead cross‑discipline teams, oversee mechanical and thermal systems, manage interfaces, and ensure schedules and budgets align with mission requirements.

This on‑site, leadership role requires a proven track record in space hardware development, integration and test, plus the ability to travel to suppliers and sponsors and to obtain