Sr. Mechanical Engineer, Vehicle Integration

Gravitics, Inc•Denver, CO

1d•$140,000 - $180,000

About The Position

Gravitics is seeking an exceptional engineer to lead cargo integration for their space systems, from initial vehicle layout through flight hardware and mission operations. The role involves leading a team responsible for developing the cargo architecture and initial layout for a new spacecraft, including both internally and externally mounted cargo. This includes managing powered and passive cargo, defining vehicle-level packaging and interfaces, and designing the secondary structure to secure and support cargo. This is a highly cross-functional role requiring collaboration with various teams such as vehicle configuration, structures, avionics, thermal, operations, manufacturing, and mission teams to balance requirements and develop an integrated cargo solution. The engineer will own the system throughout its lifecycle, from early trades and layout to detailed design, analysis, test, manufacturing, vehicle integration, and mission support.

Requirements

5+ years of industry experience in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.
Demonstrated ownership of complex mechanical or aerospace projects from concept through hardware delivery.
Experience with spacecraft, aircraft, launch vehicle, or other complex vehicle packaging and mechanical integration.
Strong mechanical design fundamentals, including structural load paths, joints, interfaces, and secondary structures.
Knowledge of relevant structural environments including acceleration, pressure, vibration, shock, and thermal loading, and experience designing hardware for these environments.
Experience performing first-order structural analysis and using finite element analysis to support detailed design.
Experience developing and executing structural or mechanical verification test plans.
Proficiency with CAD and engineering analysis tools such as NX and Simcenter 3D, or equivalent packages.
Strong understanding and application of engineering drawing practices, GD&T, and ASME Y14.5.
Ability to work effectively across structures, configuration, avionics, thermal, manufacturing, operations, and other engineering disciplines.
Demonstrated ability to provide technical direction and lead a small team through an ambiguous, rapidly evolving design problem.
Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical 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

Experience with spacecraft cargo, payload, or secondary-structure integration.
Experience developing vehicle-level cargo or payload layouts from a clean-sheet configuration.
Experience with both internally and externally mounted spacecraft hardware.
Experience integrating powered payloads or cargo requiring electrical, thermal, or data interfaces.
Proven history of delivering flight hardware for launch vehicles, spacecraft, or other space systems.
Experience with human spaceflight cargo requirements, including stowage, restraint, accessibility, handling, and operational considerations.
Deep working knowledge of welded and bolted joints, structural analysis of joints, design for manufacturability, material selection, and heat-treatment processes.
Experience supporting vehicle integration, launch-site operations, or mission operations.

Responsibilities

Lead the development of the vehicle's cargo architecture and layout, including internally and externally mounted powered and passive cargo.
Own cargo packaging and integration trades, balancing volume, mass, center of gravity, accessibility, structural load paths, thermal constraints, electrical interfaces, crew/operational considerations, and vehicle-level requirements.
Define and manage cargo mechanical interfaces, keep-out zones, mounting provisions, and secondary structure.
Lead a small engineering team through cargo layout, trade studies, detailed design, analysis, and hardware delivery.
Work closely with vehicle configuration and other subsystem teams to resolve integration conflicts and drive the overall vehicle design toward closure.
Design secondary structures, brackets, restraints, mounting provisions, and other hardware required to integrate cargo with the vehicle.
Apply first-order hand calculations and empirical methods to rapidly assess concepts, understand load paths, and iterate designs.
Build and evaluate finite element models to assess structural performance and demonstrate compliance with vehicle requirements.
Design for relevant environments including pressure, acceleration, vibration, shock, thermal loading, and launch/landing loads.
Create detailed component and assembly drawings with appropriate application of GD&T, tolerance analysis, and manufacturing requirements.
Develop structural and integration test plans, support test execution, evaluate results, and generate verification reports.
Work directly with suppliers and internal manufacturing teams to take hardware from design through production and vehicle integration.
Own the schedule and budget for assigned cargo integration and structural hardware.
Support manufacturing and integration by dispositioning non-conformances and resolving hardware issues quickly.
Serve as the technical owner and subject-matter expert for the cargo system from initial concept through mission operations.