Senior Mechanisms Engineer

Gravitics•Greater Seattle Area, WA

12h

About The Position

Gravitics is building the infrastructure for a thriving space economy, enabling humanity to flourish beyond Earth. We design and manufacture large-scale orbital structures that enable commercial operations while meeting the requirements of defense and government missions. To build our space systems, we need engineers who can directly work the full product lifecycle of several challenging assemblies, including pressurized structures, launch adapters, mechanisms, tooling, and more. This role involves overseeing the complete lifecycle of moving mechanical assemblies, from defining requirements and interfaces through conceptual and detailed design, development, assembly, verification, qualification testing, operation, manufacturing support, and post-flight analysis. The engineer will apply first-order hand calculations and empirical formulas for rapid design iteration, build finite element models for detailed assessment, and create detailed component and assembly drawings with an understanding of GD&T and tolerance stack-ups. The role also includes designing custom tooling, test plans, and verification reports, and working closely with suppliers and the manufacturing team. Responsibilities extend to managing schedules and budgets for structural hardware, tracking and dispositioning non-conformances, and serving as a reliable expert for their system from concept to mission control.

Requirements

Demonstrated past ownership of complex projects
Knowledge of loads such as pressure, vibration, shock, thermal, and how to design for them
8+ years of applicable professional experience in space vehicle, launch vehicle, or missile system programs
Experience with motion/kinematic simulations
Experience with writing and executing on structural test plans
Familiarity with aerospace standard structural analysis methods (Bruhn, Niu, Roark, Shigley’s, etc)
Familiarity with CAD packages (Siemens NX preferable)
Experience with industry FEA/FEM tools like Nastran, ANSYS, FEMAP, etc.
Strong understanding and application of drafting standards and GD&T (ASME Y14.5) in creating drawings
Bachelor’s degree in an applicable field
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Nice To Haves

A proven history of mentoring junior engineers
Experience working with separation systems and docking/berthing systems

Responsibilities

Oversee the complete lifecycle of moving mechanical assemblies, from defining requirements and interfaces through conceptual and detailed design, development, assembly, verification, qualification testing, operation, manufacturing support, and post-flight analysis
Build finite element models to assess your designs in detail and analyze your structures to prove they meet the needs of the vehicle
Create detailed component and assembly drawings incorporating an understanding of GD&T and tolerance stack-ups
Own the design, development, and implementation of custom tooling in support of our programs
Design test plans and generate verification reports
Work with suppliers and our manufacturing team to make your designs reality
Managing the schedule/budget for structural hardware that you own
Tracking and dispositioning non-conformances
Be a reliable expert of your system, from concept to mission control console