Senior Propulsion Mechanical Design Engineer
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 $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M 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 planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become 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 groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or other relevant engineering discipline
- 10+ years of experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis
- Experience with CAD or FEA software packages
- Experience with the practical application of GD&T
- Demonstrated proficiency in the principles of mechanical design, materials, thermodynamics, and fluids
- Demonstrated ability to personally design, build, and test hardware from a blank canvas, including troubleshooting and iterating designs based on downstream feedback
Nice To Haves
- Demonstrated ability to own mechanical hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team outside a classroom setting
- Experience in advanced propulsion technologies, including high-performance engines, in-space propulsion, and propulsion system integration
- Experience designing, building, and testing mechanical assemblies for aerospace applications (satellite mechanical systems, payloads, launch vehicles, propulsion systems, and/or aircraft structures and mechanisms)
- Deep experience in the development and qualification of high-pressure and low-pressure fluidic components, this may include flight feed system or pressurized tanks
- Demonstrated understanding of structural analysis and failure modes of complex mechanical systems in space environments and operations
- Experience with production tooling or product design in either prototype or high-volume environments
Responsibilities
- Own the mechanical design of propulsion system hardware including propulsion modules, critical thruster components, the propellant management system, avionics box design, propulsion secondary structures, and potentially tank development
- Validate your designs through the entire lifecycle from concept to production, and successful flight demonstrations
- Generate 3D models, fully dimensioned drawings, and interface control documents
- Perform analysis on data from testing hardware, iterating designs, and critical go/no-go calls on hardware performance
- Develop and execute component and system-level test plans
- Manage key propulsion vendors and suppliers through hardware delivery
- Continually own and refine sub-system deliverable schedules throughout development and production
Benefits
- Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
