Senior Mechanical Engineer- Spacecraft Design
Astranis
$145,000 - $225,000 / year
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Description
Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.
With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.
Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.
Senior Mechanical Engineer- Spacecraft Design
As an Astranis Senior Mechanical Engineer you will own the complete lifecycle of various subsystems on our spacecraft. Whether it is incremental improvements or the introduction of a new system, you will work together with the various other teams at Astranis to make them a reality.In addition to being a significant individual on your own, you will mentor and train junior mechanical engineers on such projects. You must have a strong problem-solving background, hands-on testing skills, and preferably some experience with spacecraft and/or aerospace engineering.
Role
- Perform mechanical design and analysis of spaceflight structures and/or mechanisms
- Complete ownership of product outcomes for spaceflight hardware
- Develop requirements for launch and on-orbit environments, including loads, interfaces, and functional requirements
- Manage system level schedule and integration requirements for your subsystems while working together with the Assembly, Integration, and Test team to enable a smooth build process
- Develop and define design best practices for future programs
- Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team.
Requirements
- B.S. or M.S in mechanical, aerospace engineering or equivalent
- 5+ years of mechanical design or equivalent experience
- Experience designing aerospace structures or mechanisms
- Designed flight hardware for a prior satellite program
- Strong CAD design background (SolidWorks Preferred)
- Experience with GD&T and designing for manufacturability
- Demonstrated ability to personally design, evaluate, and procure complex mechanical assemblies with 30-40 components in aerospace or similar
- A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment with hands-on design and development
- A motivated leader who has experience mentoring and supporting junior engineers
- Don't meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria.
Bonus
- Experience in Assembly Integration and Test of spacecraft
- Experience with Finite Element Analysis (Femap, Ansys, Solidworks Sim)
- Experience with defining vibration environments and running mechanical testing on spacecraft and spacecraft components
- Experience running a development program while delegating to a small team
Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.
Astranis SMS Terms of Service
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Benefits
- Recruiting Updates: By opting in, you agree to receive SMS updates, interview coordination, and recruiting communications from Astranis Space Technologies Corp.
- Opt-Out: You can cancel this service at any time by replying STOP . We will send one final text confirming your unsubscription.
- Opt-In Again: To resume receiving messages, reply START or YES .
- Support & Rates: For assistance, reply HELP or contact us at coordinators@astranis.com. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies; carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
- Privacy: For details on how we protect your data, view our Privacy Policy .
About this role
Astranis designs and operates satellites for high-orbit communications serving governments, enterprises, and the US military. As a Senior CAD Engineer, you'd own the design configuration and documentation that translates spacecraft from concept to production, working across mechanical assemblies, bills of material, and the processes that connect design to manufacturing. The role blends hands-on CAD work—modeling waveguide routes, propulsion systems, and harnesses—with mentorship and process leadership, including PDM administration and design best practices documentation.
You'll need at least five years of mechanical CAD experience with demonstrated expertise in complex assemblies, strong SolidWorks and GD&D knowledge, and PDM administration skills. Spacecraft design experience is valued but not required; what matters is a track record shipping complex hardware and comfort working fast-paced, hands-on environments. You'll also help grow the team through recruiting and hiring.
The position is full-time and in-office at Astranis's Northern California headquarters. Compensation ranges from $140,000 to $190,000 base salary plus equity, healthcare, 401(k), and other benefits. U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency is required due to export regulations governing space technology.
How this employer is doing
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Pay for this role
$145,000 to $225,000 per year
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