Mechanical Engineer, Space

Mechanical Engineer, SpaceChantilly, Virginia, United States; Herndon, Virginia, United StatesAnduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.About The TeamIn the Space Special Programs team, we build spacecraft and space systems which serve a wide variety of functions in the space architecture. At a time when space superiority can no longer be taken for granted and with space systems proliferating at an incredible rate, the Space Special Programs team provides advanced, mission critical capabilities to our customer base to be able to more effectively operate and survive within this expanding environment with limited personnel. Working across product, engineering, sales, logistics, operations, and mission success, the Space Special Programs team develops, tests, deploys, and operates new, unique, space capabilities to drive mission success in challenging operational environments.About The JobWe are looking for Mechanical Engineers to join our rapidly growing team in Chantilly, VA. In this role, you will be responsible for portions of the full cycle design for spacecraft and associated systems including deriving requirements, 3D CAD, modelling (structural, thermal, dynamic, etc), materials selection, supervision of fabrication, initial assembly, test, debug and integration with the system. The designs include deployment mechanisms for spacecraft and subsystems (such as antennas, solar panels, etc), as well as boxes, structures, pressure vessels, and the like. All of these components require rigorous testing including vibration, shock, thermal vacuum, thermal, etc and must be developed to work with very tight tolerances, since the space vehicles themselves are fairly small. The design work also includes designing, building, and testing the MGSE required to integrate, assemble, and test the spacecraft, ultimately in a high-rate manufacturing environment. The engineering team as a whole must span the capabilities of structural, thermal, and dynamic analysis, structure design for spacecraft, spacecraft dispensers, and other components, 3D CAD for all of these designs, design for fabrication and manufacture, as well as building prototypes, flight articles, and taking them through full qualification or acceptance test campaigns. The complement of individuals on the team will be adjusted so that the entire team functions well across all of these areas, with roles that are more analysis-focused, and roles that are more hands-on focused.What You'll DoWork with a cross-functional team to design market leading space flight hardware and associated ground equipment productsImplement product components through rapid prototyping, design verification, and space qualification activitiesLearn and apply modern space-flight hardware design standards and guidelines to create high-reliability, highly manufacturable assembliesImplement a variety of structural components and mechatronics, with associated environmental testing to assure robustness in the context of the various missions as well as to characterize performance envelopes of the hardwareUse rapid prototyping, 3D printing, and hands-on machining as appropriate to iterate quickly and allow for creative "outside-the-box" thinkingParticipate in peer-level and cross-discipline design reviews and collaborate with other MEs on your team to improve everyone's capabilitiesRoot cause investigation data collection and analysis in support of production operationsWork in a fast-paced environment, having to juggle multiple concurrent projects and changing delivery timelinesRequired QualificationsB.S. in mechanical or aerospace engineering or similar engineering or technical field3-8 years of professional experience, in hardware product developmentBasic understanding of PCB Layout requirements to meet space flight mechanical, and manufacturing requirementsExperience in ground-up system design and any 3-D CADHands-on assembly, prototyping, testing, and performance characterization of mechanisms designed for 0g but in a 1g environment.Experience designing and building very small mechanisms, components, and systems.Familiarity with launch environments, testing for launch environments, range safety, and system integration effortsDemonstrated creativity and "out of the box thinking" for spacecraft mechanisms with an eye toward simplicity and reliabilityAbility to determine manage work assignments based on prioritized direction from management, near-term goals, and day-to-day levels of progressExcellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with othersAbility to work within our company and team culture and take ownership of the tasks assigned to youMust be a U.S. Citizen and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearancePreferred QualificationsExperience designing, integrating, and flying Cubesat spacecraft meant to operate in LEO through GEO environments is a significant plus1+ years of experience working in a classified environment is a plusUS Salary Range$129,000 - $171,000 USDThe salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including: