Staff Mechanical Engineer - Solar Mechanisms & Deployables San Jose, CA

Staff Mechanical Engineer - Solar Mechanisms & Deployables

San Jose, CA

About the role

Muon seeks a Staff Mechanisms Design Engineer to own the design, qualification, and sustainment of the deployable and actuated mechanical systems that power our spacecraft: solar array deployables, solar array drive assemblies (SADA), hold-down and release mechanisms (HDRMs), hinges, dampers, and latches. These are mission-critical, single-point-failure systems, and this role owns them from requirements definition through qualification and on-orbit operation. As a foundational member of our new Solar & Deployables hardware group, the ideal candidate goes deep on requirements definition, mechanism design, analysis, prototyping, qualification, and transfer to production while collaborating across disciplines to deliver high-reliability solutions.

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical owner for deployable and actuated mechanisms — SADA, HDRMs, hinges, dampers, and latches — setting architecture and design direction across missions
• Lead trades on deployable architectures and release-device technologies, making sound make vs. buy decisions that balance reliability, cost, and schedule
• Lead the design, analysis, and optimization of deployment mechanisms, actuators, and release devices, including torque/force margin, structural, kinematic, tribological, and dynamic analyses
• Own single-point-failure management for deployables, including margin, redundancy, and test-coverage strategy
• Own mechanism qualification campaigns, including deployment testing with gravity offload, lifecycle testing, and environmental test (random vibration, TVAC, shock)
• Define and champion mechanism design standards and best practices that scale across the organization
• Mentor mechanical engineers and lead rigorous design reviews (PDR, CDR, MRR)
• Drive mechanisms from prototype builds to constellation-scale production, applying lessons learned from builds, tests, and on-orbit operations

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field
• 10+ years of experience designing, building, and testing mechanisms or deployable hardware, including 5+ within the space industry
• Deep expertise in one or more of: solar array deployables, SADA, HDRMs/release devices, hinges, dampers, or precision mechanisms
• Strong command of mechanism analysis: torque/force margin, kinematics, bearings/tribology, preload, and stiffness
• Proven track record of qualifying single-point-failure mechanisms, including deployment, life, and environmental testing
• Expert-level command of CAD (SolidWorks preferred), GD&T, drawings, BOMs, and tolerance/mass/torque budgets
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Excited to work in a fast-paced environment with new challenges each week

Nice-to-have Skills

• Flight heritage — deployable or actuated hardware you designed that has operated successfully in space
• Direct SADA design experience (motor/actuator selection, bearings, slip rings, power/signal transfer across a rotating joint)
• Experience qualifying mechanisms to NASA-STD-5017, ECSS, or equivalent mechanism standards
• Experience establishing engineering standards and best practices at an organizational level
• Experience managing external vendors and contract manufacturers for flight hardware

The salary range for this role is $ 202,000 - $223,000 , plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package.

• In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance.
• We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.

Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.