Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer

Proteus Space, Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid medical healthcare for employees

Flexible vacation policy

Sick days

401k matching option

Pregnancy leave

Family leave

Holiday pay

Military service leave

Dental care

Vision care

Job summary

Proteus Space, Inc. in Los Angeles is seeking an experienced Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer to join our in-office team.

You will design, develop, assemble, integrate, and test structural assemblies and systems for our spacecraft builds, from concept through flight qualification. You will lead hands-on assembly, drive GD&T and CAD deliverables (NX, SolidWorks), coordinate with cross-functional teams, and ensure compliance with industry standards while delivering reliable, mission-ready space

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or similar field.
• 5+ years of core mechanical engineering discipline experience in aerospace or related fields.
• Hands-on assembly and integration of space flight hardware.
• Experience with designing spacecraft primary and secondary structural elements.
• Proficiency in CAD software such as NX, SolidWorks, etc.
• Proficiency in generating engineering drawings and GD&T.
• Experience in structural design, harness routing, and systems-level mechanical engineering.
• Experience specifying and analyzing fastener torque values and material finishes (e.g. anodizing).
• Experience with the NASA GEVS standard.
• Strong collaboration in a dynamic environment and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Execute the mechanical design and development team for primary and secondary spacecraft structures, including geometry and material selection.
• Design parts for manufacturing, incorporating GD&T practices.
• Develop CAD models and engineering drawings, and complete part inspections of received parts for accuracy.
• Execute spacecraft mechanical assembly integration and testing, including MGSE design, torquing and staking bolts, performing interference and fit checks, and maintaining cleanroom organization.
• Develop mechanical assembly procedures.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate structural subsystems with other spacecraft subsystems.
• Own hardware through the entire project lifecycle, including part reception, inspection, integration, to spacecraft bus packing, shipping, and testing.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Document design processes, test results, and system performance.
• Provide technical mechanical engineering guidance to fellow engineers, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.

Skills

CAD/3D modeling

GD&T

NX

SolidWorks

Structural design

Harness routing

Fastener torque

NASA GEVS

Collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s or advanced degree in mechanical/aerospace engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

Simcenter

Abaqus

Altair/Optistruct

Job description

Company Description

Proteus Space is a Los Angeles-based spacecraft technology company established to capitalize on a rapidly evolving space landscape and the urgent need to deliver resilient orbital capabilities to maintain and increase our national science and security interests. We combine serious space flight experience with an open minded, first-principles approach, leveraging advanced computational design and Industry 4.0 practices to deliver custom spacecraft and mission solutions with industry leading speed, precision, and reliability. We seek to enable every payload and mission with a fully custom, purpose-built spacecraft bus, designed and delivered using Proteus™, our patent-pending, automated computational design platform, with industry leading reliability.

Role Description

We are seeking a Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer to join our spacecraft team. This is a full-time, in office role for an experienced professional with a proven track record of hands-on work across multiple areas of spacecraft mechanical engineering. In this role, you will execute the design, development, assembly, and integration, and testing of structural assemblies and systems for our spacecraft builds.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute the mechanical design and development team for primary and secondary spacecraft structures, including geometry and material selection.
• Design parts for manufacturing, incorporating Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) practices.
• Develop CAD models and engineering drawings, and complete part inspections of received parts for accuracy.
• Execute spacecraft mechanical assembly integration and testing, including MGSE design, torquing and staking bolts, performing interference and fit checks, and maintaining cleanroom organization.
• Develop mechanical assembly procedures.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate structural subsystems with other spacecraft subsystems.
• Own hardware through the entire project lifecycle, including part reception, inspection, integration, to spacecraft bus packing, shipping, and testing.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Document design processes, test results, and system performance.
• Provide technical mechanical engineering guidance to fellow engineers, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or similar field.
• 5+ years of core mechanical engineering discipline experience in aerospace or related fields.
• Experience with hands-on assembly and integration of space flight hardware
• Experience with designing spacecraft primary and secondary structural elements.
• Proficiency in CAD software such as NX, Solidworks, etc.
• Proficiency in generating engineering drawings and GD&T.
• Demonstrated expertise in structural design, harness routing, and systems-level mechanical engineering.
• Experience specifying and analyzing fastener torque values and material finishes (e.g. anodizing).
• Experience with the NASA GEVS standard.
• Strong ability to collaborate effectively in a dynamic environment while maintaining a positive and professional attitude.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with spacecraft AI&T in clean room environments and adhering to ESD protocols.
• Proficiency with finite element method analysis packages such as Simcenter, Abaqus, Altair/Optistruct, etc.
• Experience with the design, specification, and testing of spacecraft deployable systems and mechanisms
• Experience executing and leading spacecraft vibration test campaigns

Salary Range: $130,000 - $170,000 per year. Final compensation is based on experience, education and qualifications.

Benefits

Proteus Space offers comprehensive benefits including paid medical healthcare for employees, flexible vacation policy, sick days, 401k matching option, pregnancy leave, family leave, holiday pay, military service leave, dental care, vision care and other benefits.

Equal Opportunity

Proteus is committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of an applicant’s age, disability, sex, race, religion, gender, national origin, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic. The Company will provide reasonable accommodations to an applicant with a disability or religious belief in or to enable the applicant to apply for the position.