Structures Engineer

Stanford Climate Ventures; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

PTO

401k

Stock options

Job summary

General Galactic in El Segundo, California is seeking a Structures Engineer to design and analyze spacecraft structures. You will work with a dedicated team while having ownership over critical components.

The ideal candidate should have a BS in engineering and 2+ years of relevant experience. Benefits include medical, PTO, 401k, and stock options.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in aerospace structures or related hardware.
• Strong fundamentals in statics, dynamics, and mechanical design.
• Ability to perform engineering analysis with various tools.

Responsibilities

• Design and analyze spacecraft structures and mechanisms.
• Own structural system design and integration for spacecraft.
• Develop simulations and models to guide design decisions.

Skills

Mechanical design

Statics

Dynamics

Materials science

Hands-on engineering

Education

BS in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related

Tools

CAD

Python

MATLAB

FEA

Job description

About General Galactic

General Galactic designs, builds, and flies advanced spacecraft that redefine what’s possible beyond Earth. Led by former SpaceX, Varda, Impulse, and Relativity engineers, our vision is to dominate cislunar space and build the railway to Mars – expanding access to high-energy orbits and enabling the next generation of missions along the way. Based in Los Angeles, California, we’re leveraging our paradigm-shifting water-based technology to reshape the space domain for good.

Job Description

As a Structures Engineer, you will work closely with a focused technical team to design and analyze critical spacecraft structures and mechanisms across our product suite, including Seldon and Dreadnought spacecraft vehicles, Genesis propulsion systems, and more. You will have extreme ownership over your work, move quickly, and operate with high agency. As we grow, there will be opportunities to expand your role with the company.

This is a hands‑on engineering role for someone with experience using fundamentals in mechanical design, statics, dynamics, materials science, and manufacturing to design and analyze hardware. You will have the opportunity to own major vehicle structures, interfaces, mechanisms, and ground systems. You should be comfortable moving between first‑principles analysis, detailed mechanical design, hardware build, test operations, and post-test data review.

Responsibilities may include:

• Own structural system design, component selection, and integration for spacecraft vehicles, propulsion systems, ground test hardware, and associated hardware.
• Own structural analyses including load paths, modal analyses, coupled loads, shock, safety margins, and interfaces.
• Design and integrate mechatronic systems that support key vehicle functions.
• Develop and maintain simulations, calculations, and models to guide design decisions.
• Create CAD models, drawings, interface definitions, assembly procedures, test procedures, and engineering documentation.
• Plan, execute, and troubleshoot testing of structural systems.

Requirements

Successful applicants should have most of the following:

• BS in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical field.
• 2+ years of experience designing, analyzing, building, or testing aerospace structures, spacecraft hardware, mechanisms, or related hardware.
• Strong fundamentals in statics, dynamics, materials science, and mechanical design.
• First‑principles approach to problem solving even with incomplete or partial information.
• Hands‑on experience designing flight or test hardware such as panels, mounts, interfaces, deployment systems, or structural assemblies.
• Ability to perform practical engineering analysis spanning hand calculations, spreadsheets, Python, MATLAB, CAD, and FEA.
• Strong mechanical design skills, including CAD, drawings, tolerancing, material selection, manufacturability, assembly, and testability.
• Experience in a fast‑paced startup environment or similar, with high agency, strong ownership, and willingness to work hands‑on across disciplines.

This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens, U.S. permanent residents, individuals granted U.S. asylum status, or individuals admitted in U.S. refugee status) is a required qualification for this position.

Benefits

Benefits include medical/vision/dental/PTO/401k/stock options, and more!

General Galactic Technologies Corporation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.