Principal Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer II

Principal Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer II

Join to apply for the Principal Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer II role at Cesium Astro.

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At Cesium Astro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross‑functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands‑on, interactive and autonomous work, Cesium Astro is the place for you.

In this position, you will be responsible for leading a team of engineers responsible for mechanical aspects of Cesium Astro spacecraft, subsystems, and interfaces through all phases of the development process. The ideal candidate will be versatile and proficient in mechanical design, electronics packaging, computer‑aided design (CAD), mechanical interfaces, thermal architecture, deployable and actuated structures, and environmental qualification of spacecraft. You will use these skills to effectively direct, mentor, and grow a team of upcoming engineers in the design of a novel satellite.

As a Cesium Astro spacecraft team lead and responsible mechanical authority, you will manage a small team to develop satellites and put them in orbit. You will be responsible for delivering robust mechanical designs from concept through space flight including requirements definition, architecture trades and block diagrams, analysis, manufacturing, assembly, testing, qualification, and in‑orbit support. In this role you will also collaborate closely with GNC, EPS, CDH, Payload, RF, Systems, and AI&T teams.

The successful candidate will also present engineering design review materials to our customers and executive team, as well as participate in proposal‑writing efforts. As such, excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.

• Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering from an accredited university or institution.
• 11 years of experience in communications satellite structures and mechanisms design from concept design to decommissioning across multiple programs.
• At least 5 years of experience leading technical teams.
• Significant contributions to multiple flight missions, plus lead ownership of one or more full mechanical development cycles at the space vehicle level.
• Ability to support subsystem leads with clear mechanical interfaces and cross‑functional alignment.
• Hands‑on experience in satellite and large instrument AI&T that leads directly to design implementation.
• Strong opinions on the meaning of engineering rigor and lean process.
• Experience including failure and recovery of mechanism operations in test and in operations, as well as loss of mission due to mechanism failure (experience with success as well!).
• At least one experience with a structural failure in environmental test and recovery from that failure.
• Strong fundamentals including mechanics of materials, hand calcs, and engineering rules of thumb.
• Experience in conducting architectural trade studies including parametric and first‑order cost and physical analysis.
• Experience as a reviewer for structural and thermal analysis to ensure designs meet requirements and manufacturability needs.
• Experience with professional mechanical and FEA CAD tools, such as Solid Works Simulation, Ansys, and Nastran.
• Design and build for manufacturing and cost.
• Expertise in CNC manufacturing and GD&T as evidenced by ability to implement and critique mechanical drawings.
• Experience with design and manufacturing of composite sandwich panels including an understanding of the trades and benefits of each in satellite structures.
• Experience in designing spacecraft primary and secondary structures in a…