Spacecraft Structures & Layout Engineer II

Socket.dev; Broomfield (CO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation bonus

Employee stock option plan

Medical, vision & dental coverage

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Job summary

Katalyst, an American technology company focused on dynamic space operations, is seeking a mechanical engineer to support spacecraft and payload layouts from concept through flight. You will develop CAD assemblies, design structures, and perform analyses to inform design choices in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Responsibilities span packaging trades, collaboration with manufacturing, and ensuring flight-readiness through rigorous documentation and reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 3–4 years designing mechanical hardware for spacecraft or related high-reliability systems.
• Strong 3D CAD and configuration management.
• Experience with hand calculations and FEA.
• Ability to work across cross-functional teams.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Support spacecraft and payload mechanical layout from concept to flight, balancing packaging and interfaces.
• Develop and maintain top-level CAD assemblies, vehicle envelopes, keep-out zones, and layouts.
• Design primary and secondary spacecraft structures and mounts using load-path and vibration principles.
• Perform hand calculations and FEA; correlate with test data to drive design decisions.
• Drive packaging trades across avionics, harnessing, propulsion, GNC, and other subsystems.
• Collaborate with manufacturing to support prototype and flight builds; resolve drawings issues.
• Contribute to design reviews, mass-property tracking, configuration control, and flight-readiness decisions.

Skills

3D CAD

Mechanical design

FEA

Structural analysis

Cross-functional

Vibration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Job description

Katalyst, an American technology company focused on dynamic space operations, is seeking a mechanical engineer to support spacecraft and payload layouts from concept through flight. You will develop CAD assemblies, design structures, and perform analyses to inform design choices in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Responsibilities span packaging trades, collaboration with manufacturing, and ensuring flight-readiness through rigorous documentation and reviews.