Senior Mechanical Engineer

At Slingshot Aerospace, we're on a mission to make space safer and more secure for everyone. Our work directly impacts global security, disaster response, climate monitoring, and the critical infrastructure that connects our world. We're a team of builders, thinkers, and problem-solvers who believe that the next generation of space operations will be powered by better data and smarter software.

We move fast, we're not afraid to fail, and we believe the best ideas can come from anywhere-whether you're in engineering, sales, product, or operations. If you want to work on something that truly matters, with people who care deeply about the impact we're making and help shape the future of an industry that's just getting started, you're in the right place.

Relocation assistance is available for this position.

What You'll Be Launching

As a senior member of Space Surveillance Research and Development (R&D) technical staff, you will take a lead role advancing Slingshot's efforts to accelerate the security, safety, and sustainability of space via the development and deployment of next-generation electro-optical space surveillance systems. You will serve as a senior mechanical engineering contributor for Slingshot's ground-based sensing systems, designing the structures, enclosures, mechanisms, mounts, and optomechanical hardware that allow precision optical systems to operate reliably in some of the most demanding environments on Earth.

This work will include a subset of (i) designing and modifying telescope and sensor enclosures for remote and extreme-environment operation; (ii) developing ruggedized mechanical systems capable of reliable operation in polar and other harsh environments; (iii) designing precision optomechanical structures, mounts, and alignment systems for custom optical assemblies; (iv) developing rigid structures for arrays of optical sensors and telescope assemblies; (v) integrating high-performance mechanical components into electro-optical sensing systems; and (vi) working directly with fabrication partners and field teams to take designs from concept through manufacturing, assembly, deployment, and operation.

This role is intended for a highly practical mechanical engineer who enjoys solving unusual hardware problems and seeing those solutions operate in the real world. The right person will be equally comfortable developing a precision mechanical design in CAD, working through tolerances with a machine shop, troubleshooting an electromechanical mechanism in the lab, and helping a field team understand why a system behaves differently at -50C than it did in Colorado.

Your Mission (Should You Choose to Accept It)

• Execute all position responsibilities in alignment with Slingshot's core values, mission, and purpose

• Serve as a senior mechanical engineering contributor for Slingshot's ground-based electro-optical space surveillance systems

• Design and develop mechanical structures, telescope enclosures, equipment housings, mounts, frames, optical benches, and other hardware for permanent and deployable sensing systems

• Lead mechanical design and hardening of systems intended for operation in polar and other extreme environments, accounting for environmental effects such as cold temperatures, wind, snow, ice, moisture, freeze/thaw cycles, marine atmospheric corrosion, and large thermal excursions

• Develop approaches for maintaining reliable mechanical operation, alignment, sealing, lubrication, cable management, and serviceability at very low temperatures

• Design custom optomechanical hardware including lens mounts, camera mounts, optical tube interfaces, baffles, alignment features, focus mechanisms, and other precision assemblies

• Design rigid mounting structures and alignment architectures for stationary arrays of small optical tube assemblies and other multi-sensor configurations

• Analyze and control mechanical deflection, vibration, thermal expansion, and tolerance accumulation where they affect optical alignment, pointing, or image quality

• Select appropriate materials, finishes, bearings, seals, lubricants, fasteners, motors, gearboxes, and other components for the intended operating environment

• Develop mechanical architectures for integrating precision electromechanical and positioning components into high-performance electro-optical sensing systems

• Analyze and optimize the dynamic performance of mechanical systems where rapid response, precise positioning, repeatability, structural stiffness, and settling behavior are critical to sensor performance

• Work closely with optical, electrical, software, controls, systems, calibration, and field operations engineers to develop integrated sensing systems

• Develop mechanical requirements, interface definitions, design trades, and verification approaches in partnership with systems engineering teams

• Perform appropriate structural, thermal, tolerance, and dynamic analyses to support mechanical design decisions and verify system performance

• Develop fabrication-ready drawings, tolerances, GD&T, bills of material, assembly documentation, and other technical data required to build and maintain hardware

• Identify, evaluate, and work directly with machine shops, sheet-metal fabricators, weld shops, enclosure manufacturers, and other suppliers to turn engineering designs into reliable hardware

• Build and prototype hardware in-house when doing so is the fastest way to answer an engineering question or retire technical risk

• Lead mechanical assembly, integration, troubleshooting, and verification of prototype and production sensing systems

• Support environmental and life testing to validate performance across expected temperature, wind, moisture, icing, duty-cycle, and other operating conditions

• Support deployment and commissioning of sensing systems at remote sites, including hands-on troubleshooting of mechanical and electromechanical issues

• Design for maintainability and field serviceability, recognizing that deployed systems may operate autonomously for long periods and may be expensive or difficult to access

• Investigate mechanical failures and performance issues observed in deployed systems and drive corrective actions into future designs

• Establish and mature mechanical design practices, component selection standards, drawing practices, and lessons learned for Slingshot's growing global sensor network

• Engage with customers and stakeholders to ensure successful outcomes for their mission-critical needs

• Contribute your expertise and ideas to help shape our products and strategies

• Prepare technical reports and briefing materials

• Represent your team and Slingshot to a broader audience through presentations to customers and stakeholders

• Serve as a technical expert and key contributor to Slingshot's space surveillance technology development

• Share subject matter expertise through mentoring and training of other staff

• Take point in writing technical sections of proposals for winning new work

• Lead technical work on larger team efforts including cross-team initiatives

• Ideate and champion internal research & development activities

• Perform other duties as assigned (to be less than 10% of the responsibilities listed above)

Pre-flight Checklist

• Undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering field

• 7+ years of relevant experience designing and delivering mechanical hardware for aerospace, optical, scientific, robotics, industrial automation, or other demanding technical applications

• Significant experience with 3D CAD and production of fabrication-ready engineering drawings

• Demonstrated experience taking mechanical systems from concept through detailed design, fabrication, assembly, test, and field deployment

• Experience designing mechanical systems for outdoor, harsh-environment, or extreme-temperature operation

• Strong understanding of mechanical design fundamentals including structural design, materials, tolerancing, GD&T, fasteners and joints, bearings, sealing, and manufacturing processes

• Experience performing engineering analysis appropriate to mechanical design, such as structural FEA, thermal analysis, tolerance analysis, or mechanism dynamics

• Experience working directly with machine shops, fabricators, and hardware vendors to turn designs into finished systems

• Hands-on ability and willingness to assemble, modify, troubleshoot, and test mechanical and electromechanical hardware

• Ability to work effectively across optical, electrical, software, controls, systems engineering, and field operations disciplines

• Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the demonstrated ability to convey salient details about advanced technology in a compelling manner to both experts and non-experts alike

• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time within and outside of the United States to support customer engagements, technical exchanges, sensor installations, or field troubleshooting

• Tenacious drive to overcome challenges and deliver solutions with excellence

• Must be a U.S. citizen eligible for government clearances

Preferred Skills

• Graduate level degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering field

• Significant experience designing equipment for sustained operation in Arctic, Antarctic, alpine, or similarly cold and remote environments

• Experience with low-temperature material behavior, lubrication, sealing, condensation, icing, snow loading, thermal contraction, heaters, insulation, and other cold-weather engineering considerations

• Experience designing telescope enclosures, observatories, radomes, outdoor instrumentation, remote sensing systems, or other environmentally controlled equipment housings

• Experience designing precision optomechanical assemblies and mounting structures

• Experience with optical alignment, line-of-sight stability, structural deflection, and thermal effects on precision optical systems

• Experience designing structures for arrays of cameras, telescopes, antennas, or other precision sensors where relative alignment and stability are important

• Experience designing and integrating precision electromechanical systems, mechanisms, actuators, bearings, drive systems, or other hardware where positioning accuracy, repeatability, and dynamic performance are important

• Familiarity with mechanism dynamics, inertia, torque sizing, acceleration profiles, structural modes, settling time, backlash, repeatability, and positioning accuracy

• Experience designing weatherproof and environmentally sealed equipment, including selection and implementation of appropriate ingress-protection strategies

• Experience with structural welding, sheet metal, CNC machining, composites, and additive manufacturing

• Experience developing and executing environmental qualification, accelerated life, or reliability testing for fielded mechanical systems

• Experience supporting hardware deployments at remote or difficult-to-access sites

• Experience designing for maintainability, modular replacement, and autonomous operation of remotely deployed equipment

• Experience with ground-based astronomical or space-surveillance telescope systems

• Early-stage startup experience

US-based Candidates: we are currently only able to hire residents of the following U.S. states: AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, RI, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV We are unable to consider candidates residing in other U.S. states at this time.

Internationally-based Candidates: we are currently only able to hire residents of the following locations: United Kingdom. We are unable to consider candidates residing in other countries at this time.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion are key to our success. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and our employees are people with different strengths, experiences, and backgrounds, who share a passion for creating a safer, more connected world. Diversity not only includes race and gender identity, but also national origin, citizenship, sex, color, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic that is part of one's identity. All of our employees' points of view are key to our success, and we embrace individuality.

Compensation Range: $130K - $190K