Senior Mechanical Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Please Note:  To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At  CesiumAstro , we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a  Senior Mechanical Engineer to our Internal Missions team. If you enjoy working in a startup environment and are passionate about developing space hardware for leading-edge communications satellites, we would like to hear from you. 

In this position, you will be responsible for mechanical aspects of Cesium spacecraft, subsystems, and interfaces through all phases of the development process. The ideal candidate will be versatile and proficient in mechanical analysis, electronics packaging, computer-aided design (CAD), mechanical interfaces, thermal architecture, spacecraft propulsion, deployable and actuated structures, and environmental qualification of spacecraft. 

As a Cesium spacecraft team member, you will work on a small team to develop satellites and put them in orbit. You will be responsible for mechanical designs from concept through space flight including requirements definition, architecture trades and block diagrams, analysis, manufacturing, testing, qualification, and in-orbit support. 

Your work will have a direct impact on the success of the company. You will work closely with the engineering team, program management to ensure the successful build and launch of our satellite. Element will be the largest, most powerful rideshare satellite in LEO. We’re launching eight of them in the next four years, starting with our first launch this year.  Together, our small team will design, build, and iterate to reduce mass and cost while increasing performance, reliability, and manufacturability of a new generation of satellites. Let’s build! 

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering from an accredited university or institution. 

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant mechanical engineering experience, including supporting spacecraft of other aerospace hardware.  

• Experience applying mechanical engineering fundamentals to areas such as structural design, electronics packaging, thermal considerations, shock, and vibration. 

• Experience with mechanical design and development, including 3D CAD, engineering drawings, and GD&T. 

• Experience supporting hardware through design, analysis, manufacturing, integration, and/or test. 

• Familiarity with spacecraft or launch environments and their impact on mechanical design. 

• Experience with advanced aerospace materials and manufacturing processes. 

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Spacecraft, CubeSat, or other flight hardware development experience. 

• Experience with structural or thermal analysis tools such as Ansys Mechanical, SolidWorks Simulation, or Thermal Desktop. 

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.  Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.  

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.