Manager, Solar Engineering

K2 Space•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

K2 is building high-power satellite platforms for commercial and U.S. government customers, with missions spanning low Earth orbit to deep space. The company is developing spacecraft for demanding radiation environments, multi-year lifetimes, and high production volumes. The Manager, Solar Engineering owns the solar array program, from early-stage technology development and module innovation through design maturation, manufacturing, testing, and on-orbit performance. The role leads and grows a cross-functional organization covering design, analysis, manufacturing, and integration, and sets technical direction and operating cadence to meet cost, schedule, and reliability targets. The manager will define the systems and infrastructure needed to design and manufacture solar hardware at scale.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or another relevant engineering discipline.
At least 5 years of experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis in solar or electromechanical systems.
At least 1 year of experience building and leading large, multidisciplinary engineering teams, including managing managers and developing senior individual contributors across multiple functional areas.
Demonstrated ability to own a complex engineering function end-to-end through major program phases, from development and design iteration through production ramp and sustained delivery.
Executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills.
Experience with CAD or FEA software packages.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience leading solar array engineering for space applications, including design, module interconnect processes, module lamination, integrated PVA construction, and flight array integration.
Experience scaling a multidisciplinary engineering organization from early-stage development to full-rate production in a high-reliability or aerospace environment.
Hands-on background in robotics, vision-guided assembly, or electromechanical controls for manufacturing applications.
Experience designing, building, and testing moving mechanical assemblies for aerospace applications, such as satellite mechanical systems, payloads, launch vehicles, propulsion systems, or aircraft structures and mechanisms.
Experience with NASA-STD-5017, SMC-S-016, and GSFC-STD-7000 for the design and qualification of in-space Moving Mechanism Assemblies.
Experience with the practical application of GD&T.
Independent and self-motivated mindset, with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills across disciplines.

Responsibilities

Build, scale, and lead the Solar Engineering organization across design, manufacturing, process, and automation disciplines.
Own the solar hardware technical baseline end-to-end, from array and module design through process qualification, tooling and automation infrastructure, and flight-ready production delivery.
Take hardware and mechanisms from conceptual design through qualification to on-orbit operations, including hands-on testing, analysis, and iterative design refinement.
Identify and invest in transformative technologies that improve production rate, reliability, and unit economics.
Set the strategic direction for designing and manufacturing solar hardware at scale, establishing systems, processes, and standards for high-rate production.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to establish product requirements, company processes, and hardware design and manufacturing best practices.
Represent Solar Engineering at the executive level and drive alignment on technical direction, risk, and program execution.