Principal Mechanisms Manufacturing Engineer

K2 Space•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion 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 in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward 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 high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply. The Role Partnering with the Mechanisms Engineering team early on in the process, you will ensure manufacturability, build the first prototype, design the build flow and fixturing, and finalize the process for transition to production. Once transitioned, you will have the opportunity to make a positive impact scaling production to meet K2’s ever-growing demand. You will implement new techniques for manufacturing complex mechanisms – including rotational actuators, separation mechanisms, gimbals, and reaction wheel assemblies – as well as the electromechanical assemblies and machined components they integrate into. In your first 6 months you will develop manufacturing methods and tooling for these mechanisms, define manufacturing flows for mechanism subsystems, build test articles to support the Mechanisms Engineering team’s development and qualification test campaigns, and provide Design-for-Excellence (DFX) guidance across mechanisms, machined components, and higher-level assemblies. In your first year you will implement these advanced manufacturing techniques on flight hardware and scale the technology you develop to high-rate production. As a Principal on the team, you will also set manufacturing policy and standards, proactively flag risk in upcoming mechanism designs before it becomes a problem, plan ahead for the manufacturability of future programs, and build tools that make the rest of the Manufacturing Engineering team faster and more effective.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, electrical, or other relevant engineering discipline
10+ years of experience in a high volume, rapid production environment in a manufacturing, integration, and/or design engineering role
Demonstrated track record of leading product development and/or process improvement initiatives
Strong understanding of mechanisms-specific industry standards such as NASA-STD-5017 (Design and Development Requirements for Mechanisms) and AIAA S-114 (Moving Mechanical Assemblies for Space and Launch Vehicles), as well as familiarity with the environmental qualification standards (SMC-S-016, GSFC-STD-7000) the Mechanisms Engineering team designs against
Strong understanding of how to set up a manufacturing/production floor for first article builds and transitioning from low to high-rate manufacturing
Deep understanding of mechanisms subassembly manufacturing technologies, including rotational actuators, separation mechanisms, gimbals, and reaction wheel assemblies
Strong understanding of design-for-excellence (DFX) principles, with the ability to guide design teams across mechanisms, machined components, and mechanical assemblies
Strong understanding of GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing) and mechanical assembly drawings, with the ability to review and provide feedback on electrical and mechanical designs
Demonstrated ability to set manufacturing policy and proactively identify and mitigate manufacturing risk across programs, and to influence cross-functional teams to drive design changes for manufacturability
Experience developing or deploying tools, automation, or software that scale the efficiency of a manufacturing engineering team

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with precision bearing standards (e.g., ABMA) and bearing preload techniques and measurement, as used in rotational actuators, gimbals, and reaction wheel assemblies
Experience designing tooling for mechanisms and electromechanical subassemblies
Some experience with wire harness manufacturing and integration
Demonstrated experience developing production processes from the ground up, including driving design improvements for manufacturing
Experience working closely with technicians and build tooling
Experience with aerospace manufacturing standards such as lubrication practices, torque specifications, and quality assurance standards
Familiarity with CAD software (NX or equivalent)
Familiarity with data analytics tools (e.g., Python, SQL) or automation platforms used to process manufacturing data and drive business decisions
Experience working with MES to set up the foundation for procedure creation and documenting non-conformances

Responsibilities

Lead design-for-excellence (DFX) reviews with the Mechanisms Engineering team, providing manufacturability, testability, and assembly guidance across mechanisms, machined components, and assemblies for initial design, flight hardware, and tooling
Lead the development of innovative manufacturing systems for spacecraft mechanisms, including rotational actuators, separation mechanisms, gimbals, and reaction wheel assemblies
Set manufacturing policy, standards, and best practices for the Manufacturing Engineering organization, proactively identifying and mitigating manufacturability, process, and quality risks before they surface
Plan manufacturing strategy, tooling, and capacity investments ahead of future mechanism designs and program roadmaps
Research and pilot new assembly methodologies and automation technologies, using data-driven analysis to optimize current production and inform manufacturing business decisions
Create custom tools, automation, and processes — including Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software — to support the manufacturing technologies you create and streamline the work of the broader Manufacturing Engineering team
Demonstrate the advanced manufacturing techniques on prototypes, working with the design teams to continuously improve the manufacturability of the designs
Build test articles and support the Mechanisms Engineering team’s development and qualification test campaigns, iterating on hardware and processes as test results come in
Develop the subassembly build flow and iterate to create an efficient production flow for the satellite and ensure that build times align with current takt times
Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior manufacturing engineers, technicians, and design peers on mechanisms manufacturing best practices
Partner with a team of advanced manufacturing engineers to lead R&D of novel manufacturing technologies for current and future spacecraft products