Spacecraft Structures Engineer II - Layout & Packaging

Katalyst; Broomfield (CO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Relocation bonus

Medical, vision, dental

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Katalyst, an American technology company focused on dynamic space operations, is seeking an experienced Mechanical/Aerospace Engineer to join our propulsion/structure team in Colorado. In this role you will design spacecraft structures, perform analyses, and collaborate across disciplines to ensure safe, reliable hardware for flight.

You will lead packaging decisions, run hand calculations and FEA, and work with manufacturing to deliver robust hardware, while supporting a fast-paced startup-like

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 3-4 years of experience designing, packaging, analyzing, and releasing mechanical hardware for spacecraft, launch vehicles, aircraft, robotics, defense systems, or other high-reliability products.
• Demonstrated proficiency with 3D CAD for complex assemblies and top-level layouts, including configuration management, interface definition, and detailed drawing release.
• Strong mechanical fundamentals including statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, load paths, stiffness, joints/fasteners, vibration, thermal effects, and material failure modes.
• Experience performing hand calculations and structural analysis using FEA to assess static strength, modal behavior, vibration, shock, or related flight environments.
• Ability to work across mechanical, electrical, avionics, GNC, propulsion, thermal, manufacturing, quality, and systems teams to resolve interface and integration issues.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment where ownership, iteration speed, craftsmanship, and sound engineering judgment are essential.
• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

Responsibilities

• Support spacecraft and payload mechanical layout from early concept through detailed design, integration, qualification, and flight, balancing packaging, mass properties, access, interfaces, manufacturability, and schedule.
• Develop and maintain top-level CAD assemblies, vehicle envelopes, coordinate systems, keep-out zones, interface geometry, and configuration-controlled layouts that serve as the mechanical source of truth for cross-functional teams.
• Design primary and secondary spacecraft structures, brackets, panels, decks, mounts, equipment supports, and mechanical interfaces using sound load-path, stiffness, strength, fatigue, thermal-distortion, and vibration principles.
• Perform and review hand calculations and finite element analyses for static, modal, vibration, and shock environments; correlate models with test data and use results to drive design decisions.
• Drive spacecraft packaging trades across avionics, harnessing, propulsion, GNC sensors, thermal hardware, payloads, mechanisms, and structures, resolving competing volume, access, field-of-view, center-of-mass, and integration constraints.
• Partner closely with manufacturing and technicians to support prototype and flight builds, resolve drawing and fit issues, improve DFM/DFA, and ensure released designs can be assembled, inspected, serviced, and tested efficiently.
• Contribute to design reviews, failure-mode analysis, mass-property tracking, configuration control, and flight-readiness decisions with clear, high-quality engineering documentation.

Skills

3-4 years experience

3D CAD

Configuration management

FEA

Hand calculations

Cross-functional collaboration

Fast-paced environment

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Job description

Katalyst, an American technology company focused on dynamic space operations, is seeking an experienced Mechanical/Aerospace Engineer to join our propulsion/structure team in Colorado. In this role you will design spacecraft structures, perform analyses, and collaborate across disciplines to ensure safe, reliable hardware for flight.

You will lead packaging decisions, run hand calculations and FEA, and work with manufacturing to deliver robust hardware, while supporting a fast-paced startup-like