Staff Mechanical Engineer: Spacecraft Mechanisms & Systems

muonspace; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 202,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

Muonspace seeks a Staff Mechanical Engineer to be the technical owner for spacecraft mechanisms and components design, owning margin, redundancy, and test coverage. You will drive component qualification and maintain systems thinking across structural, thermal, electrical, and systems teams to deliver elegant, well-balanced designs.

As a staff engineer you will set platform-level mechanical architecture, define complex test campaigns, and own designs across multiple missions on a

Qualifications

• 10+ years designing, building, and testing high-reliability hardware.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• Proficient in CAD (SolidWorks preferred) for medium-to-large assemblies.
• Mastery of drawings, GD&T, BOMs, and mass budgets.
• Experience with ECO/DCO processes and PLM systems.
• Experience leading mechanical design for complex electromechanical systems.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional coordination skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical direction from requirements through build, test, and launch.
• Create and refine mechanical designs in SolidWorks; tailor platform components.
• Perform first-order structural, dynamic, and thermal sizing with analysis teams.
• Lead make-vs-buy decisions balancing rapid demos and production.
• Lead mechanical portions of reviews (PDR, CDR, MRR).
• Coordinate environmental test campaigns and disposition results.
• Produce and release drawings, BOMs, tolerances under configuration control.
• Contribute to mechanical standards, tools, and culture.
• Own architecture for components across platform and missions.
• Engage with stakeholders and launch providers on interfaces and margins.
• Define and champion mechanical design standards and review processes.
• Mentor engineers and chair design reviews.

Skills

10+ years experience

Technical leadership

Systems mindset

Strong communication

Proficiency in reporting/documentation

Education

B.S. or higher in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

GD&T

PLM systems

Job description

Muonspace seeks a Staff Mechanical Engineer to be the technical owner for spacecraft mechanisms and components design, owning margin, redundancy, and test coverage. You will drive component qualification and maintain systems thinking across structural, thermal, electrical, and systems teams to deliver elegant, well-balanced designs.

As a staff engineer you will set platform-level mechanical architecture, define complex test campaigns, and own designs across multiple missions on a