Spacecraft Design Engineer - Space Nuclear

Antares • Los Angeles, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

As a Spacecraft Mechanical & Mechanisms Design and Integration Engineer in Antares’ Mission Engineering team, you will own the design and integration of cutting-edge nuclear terrestrial and space systems. From concept through fabrication and deployment, you’ll develop spacecraft, testbed, and vehicle layouts that unify reactor, power conversion, heat rejection, and payload systems into a cohesive architecture. You’ll drive trades on system layout, interfaces, packaging, working closely with cross-disciplinary teams to refine configurations and close design loops. Your responsibilities will span CAD integration, mass properties management, and precise definition of thermal and mechanical interfaces to ensure the system satisfies requirements and is manufacturable.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace Engineering, or a related physics-based field.
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in vehicle configuration.
• Expertise with CAD (e.g., NX, CATIA) and past experience with PLM and other manufacturing planning and management systems.
• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
• Ability to work nights and weekends as needed to meet business milestones

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or PhD in mechanical or aerospace Engineering, or a related physics-based field.
• Expertise in the design, analysis, and integration of space and/or nuclear systems.
• Experience in nuclear or other high temperature systems.
• Leadership experience on a project or research team.
• Strong project management skills, cross discipline communication, and interpersonal and collaborative skills.
• Exceptional communication skills to work effectively across teams and convey technical information to non-specialists.
• Understanding of fundamental principles in fluid systems and solid mechanics.
• Demonstrated track record of initiative and high impact / ROI contributions.
• Broad knowledge of materials science and material selections, especially for nuclear applications.

Responsibilities

• Lead the configuration and integration of terrestrial and space nuclear systems and testbeds including reactor, power conversion, thermal rejection, shielding, and structural elements.
• Drive system-level layout, mass properties, and integration decisions across all phases of design, from concept through CDR.
• Own CAD integration models and configuration baselines
• Drive cross-discipline alignment and trade studies.
• Coordinate closely with subsystem leads (nuclear, thermal, structures) to ensure a system architecture that satisfies requirements.
• Support design reviews and integration/test planning for hardware.

What This Job Offers

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