Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer - Composites and Structures

Umbra•Santa Barbara, CA

1d•$175,000 - $215,000•Onsite

About The Position

Umbra is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer to join its multidisciplinary engineering team. The role contributes to the design, development, prototyping, building, and testing of next-generation space systems and mechanisms, with particular focus on composite structures for spacecraft applications. The position is based on-site at the company’s Santa Barbara/Goleta, California office. The engineer will design and analyze spacecraft hardware, including structures and deployable panels, and support the full hardware lifecycle from requirements definition and design through fabrication, integration, qualification, and testing. The role works closely with cross-functional engineering teams, the Chief Engineer, Systems Architects, technicians, manufacturing engineers, and vendors. Occasional support for launch and test campaigns outside regular hours, including evenings and weekends, may be required. The compensation range is $175,000–$215,000, depending on experience. The position may involve access to technology or data subject to U.S. export controls; hired candidates must meet applicable eligibility requirements or obtain required authorizations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.
8–10+ years of professional mechanical engineering experience, focused on composite materials and structural design.
Strong understanding of composite materials, fabrication processes, and inspection methods.
Experience performing structural analyses, including first-principles calculations and finite element analysis (FEA).
Hands-on experience with manufacturing, assembly, and integration of complex mechanical structures.
Proficiency in CAD software, including design and drafting in accordance with ASME Y14.5 standards.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to independently diagnose technical challenges and communicate effective solutions.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.
15+ years of professional mechanical engineering experience specializing in composite structures and design.
Experience analyzing honeycomb core structures, including failure modes and damage tolerance.
Experience developing finite element models for jitter prediction and structural performance.
Experience designing or analyzing solar arrays and other deployable mechanisms.
Experience performing thermal analyses and optimizing structural designs for weight and efficiency.
Experience identifying and resolving manufacturing or supplier quality issues.
Familiarity with electronics assemblies, wiring harnesses, and mechanical-electrical integration.
Experience working in Agile development environments and collaborating across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to derive and refine requirements.
Design spacecraft hardware and components, including structures and deployable panels.
Perform structural analyses for launch loads and on-orbit load cases.
Build finite element models to estimate on-orbit micro-vibration propagation through the spacecraft.
Evaluate and select fabrication vendors.
Work with the Chief Engineer and Systems Architects to optimize designs for performance and manufacturability.
Create design documentation, including drawings, design guides, and Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
Own designs through the build and test lifecycle.
Develop and execute work instructions, test plans, and test reports.
Support complex secondary operations, such as solar cell laydown and string welding.
Partner with technicians and manufacturing engineers to troubleshoot and resolve hardware issues.
Manage vendors and ensure the quality of received components.
Develop and conduct qualification campaigns.
Provide mechanical engineering support to other engineering teams as needed.
Occasionally support launch and test campaigns outside regular hours, including evenings and weekends.
Perform other duties as required.