Senior Propulsion Mechanical Design Engineer

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 You will own the success of mechanical structures and mechanisms used for a propulsion system that will be the highest-powered electric propulsion system ever flown and unlock new mission concepts and increase our access to deep space. As part of a small multidisciplinary team, your role will involve mechanical design, development, build, test, and analysis of the satellite’s plasma propulsion system and all related hardwar e.

Requirements

, create initial concepts and trades, perform preliminary and detailed analysis, define development test campaigns, and produce development hardware. In your first year, you will validate your designs through prototype iterations and build and qualify flight hardware. In your first two years you will fly your hardware in space while directly supporting production and integration.

Responsibilities

Own the mechanical design of propulsion system hardware including propulsion modules, critical thruster components, the propellant management system, avionics box design, propulsion secondary structures, and potentially tank development Validate your designs through the entire lifecycle from concept to production, and successful flight demonstrations Generate 3D models, fully dimensioned drawings, and interface control documents Perform analysis on data from testing hardware, iterating designs, and critical go/no-go calls on hardware performance Develop and execute component and system-level test plans Manage key propulsion vendors and suppliers through hardware delivery Continually own and refine sub-system deliverable schedules throughout development and production

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or other relevant engineering discipline 10+ years of experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis Experience with CAD or FEA software packages Experience with the practical application of GD T Demonstrated proficiency in the principles of mechanical design, materials, thermodynamics, and fluids Demonstrated ability to personally design, build, and test hardware from a blank canvas, including troubleshooting and iterating designs based on downstream feedback

Nice To Have

Demonstrated ability to own mechanical hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team outside a classroom setting Experience in advanced propulsion technologies, including high-performance engines, in-space propulsion, and propulsion system integration Experience designing, building, and testing mechanical assemblies for aerospace applications (satellite mechanical systems, payloads, launch vehicles, propulsion systems, and/or aircraft structures and mechanisms