Lead, Solar Manufacturing Engineering

Lead, Solar Manufacturing Engineering

Los Angeles, CA

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we'd love for you to apply.

The Role

As the owner of all solar manufacturing, you will take breakthrough designs and turn them into flight ready hardware with speed, precision, and repeatability. You will own the full manufacturing ecosystem from the solar cell through fully integrated arrays, and the tooling and automation that makes them possible.

You'll build and lead a world class Solar Manufacturing Engineering team and be accountable for how solar hardware moves from early development through production and delivery. This role spans major design evolution and production scale up, requiring both deep technical judgement and strong leadership to create manufacturing systems that are robust, efficient, and built to last.

You'll partner early and often with Design, Quality, Supply Chain, and Production, shaping designs before they are locked and ensuring manufacturing is a core driver of cost, schedule, and reliability. The manufacturing systems you create will set the pace for how fast we build, how far we scale, and how confidently we fly.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a world-class Solar Manufacturing Engineering team – hire, mentor, and develop experts in process engineering, tooling design, build reliability, and automation
• Own the manufacturing and production process for solar modules, integrated photovoltaic arrays, deployment mechanisms, and mechanical structures, including the integration of these components into flight ready solar wings and the tooling and automation that enable scalable production
• Oversee solar module manufacturing through a large design overhaul
• Develop assembly flows, tooling requirements, build sequencing, and process documentation that make flawless execution repeatable
• Partner early with design teams to drive design-for-manufacturing and ensure our solar array wings, deployment mechanisms, structures, and modules are as producible as they are revolutionary
• Source and qualify the manufacturing equipment, tooling, and automation that give us speed and precision
• Work with Quality, Supply Chain, and Production to resolve issues, maintain schedule, and hit delivery targets
• Represent manufacturing engineering in design reviews, readiness reviews, and with customers

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, manufacturing, aerospace, or related engineering field
• 1+ years of experience leading and/or managing large teams on technically complex projects throughout the development and build process
• 4+ years of solar manufacturing or solar responsible engineering experience
• Experience leading projects through prototype builds, design iterations, and scaling to production
• Experience creating clear, effective process documentation and tooling designs
• Track record of managing vendors, suppliers, and strategic technical partners to deliver on time and per specification
• A history of implementing DFM that meaningfully reduced cost, improved quality, and sped up delivery

Nice to Have

• Background in high-volume or highly automated manufacturing environments
• Experience with precision alignment, metrology, and electromechanical systems
• Experience ramping production rate from early-stage production to full rate
• Exposure to ATP campaigns
• Active Top Secret or DoD Secret clearance with SAP eligibility

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base salary range for this role is $145,000 - $200,000 + equity in the company
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you don't meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

As defined in the ITAR, "U.S. Persons" include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a "U.S. Person."

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a "U.S. person" as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.