Vehicle Engineering Manager

Astrolab; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 166,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership in the company

Comprehensive health benefits

Flexible PTO and parental leave

401(k) plan with company match

Weekly lunch stipend

Job summary

Astrolab is seeking a skilled engineer to lead the Vehicle Engineering team in Hawthorne, California. This role involves overseeing the design process for commercial planetary rovers, collaborating with talented engineers, and advancing innovative solutions.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, significant experience in mechanical systems, and demonstrated leadership abilities. A focus on design for manufacturing and interfacing with thermal and avionics systems is essential. Benefits include competitive compensation and comprehensive health coverage.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in mechanical system engineering.
• 3+ years of experience leading a team of engineers.
• Experience interfacing with thermal requirements and analyses.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of interdisciplinary engineers within Vehicle Engineering.
• Maintain schedule, development milestones, budget, and resource allocation.
• Drive the design and development of mechanical systems.

Skills

Mechanical system engineering

Leadership of engineering teams

CAD software proficiency (NX preferred)

Finite element modeling and analysis

Design for manufacturing and GD&T

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or STEM field

Tools

CAD software (NX preferred)

Finite element analysis software

Job description

Compensation: $166,000 - $187,000 / year

Department: Vehicle Engineering

Location: Hawthorne, California

Description

Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building, and operating a fleet of multi‑purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system. We are seeking motivated, creative, and exceptional people to join our world‑class team.

You will collaborate with other Astrolab engineers to advance product design and analysis. You will be ultimately responsible for leading a team through the entire design process, through production support, and mission operations.

What you’ll do

• Lead a team of interdisciplinary engineers within Vehicle Engineering
• Create systems‑level vehicle layout and architecture compliant with design requirements
• Maintain schedule, development milestones, budget, and resource allocation
• Design concepts/solutions and first‑order analysis
• Drive the design and development of mechanical systems
• Support the development of materials for design review milestones (DCR, PDR, CDR, etc.) and act as the reviewer and approver for design unit progression
• Capture, report, and analyze quality objective data
• Participate in management review meetings
• Participate in internal and external audits of this process
• Manage documented information for this process
• Train the team and new or transferred employees in this process
• Support goals and objectives of AS9100
• Conduct weekly 1‑on‑1 meetings with direct reports
• Conduct semi‑annual reviews with direct reports

What you’ll bring

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or STEM field
• 5+ years of experience in mechanical system engineering
• 3+ years of experience leading a team of engineers
• Experience using CAD software for part modeling and development (NX preferred)
• Experience using software packages for finite element modeling and analysis
• Experience in design for manufacturing and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing of parts
• Experience interfacing with thermal requirements and analyses
• Experience interfacing with avionics and software (e.g., for actuator motor control)

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in engineering
• Experience in the engineering of structures, mechanisms, and actuators
• Demonstrated ability to plan and execute flight hardware development programs from the ground up
• Demonstrated experience specifying and executing hardware qualification and acceptance test programs

Benefits and Perks

• Join a team of best‑in‑class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
• Equity ownership in the company
• Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Flexible PTO and parental leave
• Home office set up reimbursement
• Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on site
• Once a month social hour on site with food and drinks