Senior Mechanical Engineer

Gitai • Los Angeles, CA

52d • Onsite

About The Position

GITAI is a vertically integrated space and defense company building the next generation of hardware for low-Earth-orbit missions. At our core is the space robotics technology that has defined GITAI from the beginning. A small, highly capable engineering team applies that foundation across satellite buses, in-orbit servicing robotics, and mission hardware for applications such as Earth observation. Today, a major focus of our work is supporting U.S. national security missions, particularly through proliferated LEO satellite constellations and other next-generation space systems. We design, build, integrate, and test much of our hardware in-house. Electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, integration, and test teams work closely together, allowing a small team to own complete systems rather than isolated components. This vertical integration helps us move quickly, learn directly from hardware, and shorten the path from architecture to a working system. We are still early. The systems, the company, and the market are all being built at the same time. Requirements change, technical problems are often ambiguous, and many answers do not yet exist. We are looking for exceptional engineers who want broad ownership, can work across disciplines, and are willing to stay close to the hardware until the mission succeeds.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related engineering field.
• 7+ years of hands-on mechanical engineering experience developing complex hardware.
• Strong technical judgment and a track record of making sound design decisions with incomplete information.
• Deep experience personally taking hardware from concept through design, fabrication, assembly, test, and iteration.
• Strong fundamentals in mechanical design, GD&T, materials, manufacturing processes, structural analysis, and system-level tradeoffs.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, as this role may require access to classified projects and eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Prior space or defense experience is not required. We value engineers who learn unfamiliar technical domains quickly, approach new problems with an open mind, and apply strong engineering judgment developed in other industries to space and defense missions.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design across projects, from early architecture and trade studies through detailed design, build, and test.
• Make critical technical decisions under ambiguous requirements, balancing performance, manufacturability, reliability, schedule, and cost.
• Stay deeply hands-on. Design hardware yourself, support early fabrication and assembly, run tests, diagnose failures, and iterate quickly.
• Accelerate the design-build-test loop by finding the shortest path to real hardware and useful test data.
• Lead design reviews and raise the technical bar for mechanical engineering across the team.

Benefits

• Health Insurance – Platinum medical plan with 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 90% for dependents
• 401(k) Plan – Company match up to 3.5%, with traditional and Roth options
• Equity – Stock option eligibility depending on role
• Relocation Support – Available for qualifying positions
• Time Off – 12 paid holidays per year, 12 days of paid vacation per year, and paid sick leave (in accordance with applicable law)
• Office Perks – Free snacks and drinks, plus regular team events

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior