Mechanical Lead / Manager

Our client is a well-funded commercial space station company building the next generation of human habitats in orbit. They take an incremental, hardware-rich approach, and they have already flown and operated their own spacecraft. Their first crewed station module is due to launch soon, with further modules and new product lines to follow.

The company has hundreds of engineers and its own manufacturing and operations facilities in Southern California. Its long-term roadmap includes government stations and habitats beyond low Earth orbit.

The role

This is a hands-on engineering leadership role owning the thermal and fluid systems that keep crew alive and hardware working on a commercial space station. You'll report to the Director of Thermal, Environmental and Life Support Systems.

You’ll lead a team of three mid-level mechanical engineers, which is growing. You’ll also contribute directly to architecture, design and test. The hardware you build will fly, and you’ll support it all the way to on-orbit operation.

What you’ll do

Technical ownership

• Own the architecture and performance of thermal control hardware, including fluid loops, tubing and trays.
• Lead hardware through its full lifecycle: design trades, manufacturing, qualification, launch prep and on-orbit operation.
• Drive rapid prototyping and iterative testing to mature designs quickly.
• Oversee analyses, requirements and integration with avionics, software and mission operations.
• Lead internal and external design reviews to human-rated reliability and safety standards.
• Deliver manufacturable designs, working closely with technicians, manufacturing and integration teams.

Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of mechanical engineers, setting technical direction and priorities.
• Guide design decisions, trade studies, analyses and test plans.
• Manage workloads, develop your engineers and deliver on schedule.

What you’ll bring

These are listed in the order the hiring team weights them.

• Flight-vehicle fluid systems. You have architected, built and operated a fluid system on a flight vehicle, such as a thermal loop, propulsion feed system or similar.
• Structural and mechanical design. You have strong design fundamentals and can back them up with hand calcs and analysis.
• Engineering leadership. You have at least one year leading or mentoring engineers.

Also Required

• A bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a related discipline
• 5+ years of hands-on hardware experience (fabrication, assembly and/or testing)
• End-to-end product ownership, and the ability to walk through specific problems you personally solved
• First-principles thinking, curiosity beyond your own subsystem, and comfort solving novel problems independently

Nice to have

• Experience on crewed or human-rated hardware
• Rotating machinery, such as pumps or rotary fluid couplings
• Siemens NX, GD&T and tolerance analysis
• Structural analysis in FEMAP or ANSYS
• Hands-on familiarity with machining, welding, brazing and tube bending
• Leadership in a fast-paced hardware development environment

Package and practicalities

• Base salary: $155,000 – $220,000, calibrated to experience
• Equity: included for all full-time employees
• Relocation: support available
• Benefits: medical, dental and vision for you and your dependents; 20+ days' vacation; paid parental leave; 401(k); free dinners and onsite coffee
• Location: onsite in Long Beach, CA, with up to 5% travel
• Hours: occasional evening or weekend support during critical mission phases
• Export control: this role requires access to ITAR-controlled information, so applicants must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizens, green card holders, or granted asylees/refugees)