About the role
We are looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer (Structures) with 10+ years of experience to serve as the structural architect of our Carryall re-entry vehicle. This is a role for a full-vehicle structural owner, not a subsystem engineer. You will define and own the structure across the entire mission profile, designing for launch loads, orbital vacuum, and hypersonic re-entry through landing.
We are specifically looking for someone who has taken complete flight vehicle structures from concept through build, test, and flight on spacecraft, launch vehicles, or re-entry systems.
What will you be doing?
- Own the structural architecture of the full vehicle, including primary load-bearing structure, heat shield (TPS) interfaces, payload bay, and all secondary structures
- Lead structural design from early trade studies through detailed design, analysis, build, and integration, acting as the technical authority on structural decisions
- Perform and sign off on high-fidelity hand calculations and FEA (NASTRAN/ANSYS), ensuring robustness across extreme environments (launch, orbit, re-entry)
- Define and drive structural integration across systems, working closely with thermal (TPS), atmospheric recovery, and manufacturing teams
- Create and approve flight-ready manufacturing drawings with GD&T (ASME Y14.5), ensuring parts fit and function correctly on first assembly
- Lead hands-on build and structural test efforts, including static load, vibration, shock, and deployment testing, and use results to iterate on design
- Work directly with vendors and manufacturing partners (machining, composites, fabrication) to resolve issues and ensure high-quality, on-time delivery