Mechanical Designer IV

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

1d•$159,952 - $190,632•Onsite

About The Position

This senior-level role is within JPL’s Mechanical and Control Systems Division and the Mechanical Engineering, Integration, and Test Section. The section leads the design, analysis, development, integration, and testing of flight mechanical and robotic systems for spacecraft, payloads, and ground-based systems. The position performs mechanical design engineering for spacecraft, instruments, robotic systems, and/or Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE), working collaboratively with engineers and other project stakeholders. The role leads the conceptualization, design, and tolerancing of highly complex mechanical components, subassemblies, and assemblies. It also involves developing mechanical subsystem architectures, managing configurations and design trades, overseeing engineering documentation, and presenting design decisions at technical and management reviews. The appointment is temporary and may last up to 36 months, with approvals based on 6- to 12-month assignments. Employment is not under contract and may be terminated at any time, with or without notice.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical discipline and at least 9 years of related experience; or a master’s degree and at least 7 years; or a PhD and at least 5 years.
Extensive experience designing, analyzing, developing, integrating, and verifying mechanical components and assemblies for spaceflight or comparably complex environments.
Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex mechanical design efforts, including requirements development, interface definition, subsystem architecture, and formal design reviews.
Proven experience approving mechanical engineering products such as drawings, models, analyses, interface documents, and change requests.
Strong communication skills and ability to present complex mechanical engineering material to internal and external stakeholders.
Fluency in engineering CAD tools, including required Siemens NX; CATIA or Creo are also listed.
Experience producing engineering drawings using ASME Y14.100-2017.
Knowledge of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) using ASME Y14.5-2018.
Expertise with CAD and PDM tools such as NX, SolidWorks, and Teamcenter, and with tolerance stackups.

Nice To Haves

Extensive experience in the mechanical design of spacecraft primary and secondary structures, mechanisms, and instruments.
Extensive experience in the mechanical design of MGSE.
Experience producing detail drawings, assembly drawings, interface drawings, and source control drawings.
Demonstrated success defining and approving mechanical requirements, interfaces, verification strategies, and risk mitigation plans at subsystem or system level.
Strong ability to innovate and solve unprecedented mechanical engineering challenges.
Experience representing mechanical engineering in project reviews, peer reviews, and customer-facing reviews.
Experience with composite structures, aerospace materials, and fabrication processes.
Experience with opto-mechanical hardware design, fabrication, integration, and testing.
Familiarity with JPL, NASA, and Aerospace Corporation policies and procedures.
Experience with aerospace fabrication processes and aerospace material selection.
MGSE design experience with JPL Critical Items (JCI) hardware.
Experience with basic analysis methods to support preliminary hardware sizing.
Experience leading a team of designers.

Responsibilities

Perform mechanical design engineering for spacecraft, instrument, robotic, and/or Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE) applications.
Create complex CAD models, manage critical assemblies, and produce engineering drawings.
Develop and manage mechanical design configurations and/or trades for projects.
Lead conceptualization, design, and tolerancing of highly complex mechanical components, subassemblies, and assemblies for spacecraft, payloads, mechanisms, opto-mechanical systems, and ground support equipment.
Conduct and approve critical mechanical design and analysis efforts, including structural, thermal, dynamic, kinematic, GD&T, material selection, and producibility evaluations.
Oversee and guide the development of engineering documentation, including models, drawings, interface definitions, mechanical requirement sets, and design packages.
Lead subsystem-level mechanical architecture development, ensuring robust interfaces, integration feasibility, and end-to-end mechanical integrity.
Present mechanical engineering products and decisions at subsystem, system, and management reviews, representing technical status and justifying design choices.
Work with engineers and interface with space science experts, analysts, manufacturing engineers, and project staff in a collaborative environment.