Principal Mechanical Engineer, Cargo Systems

About the Role

To build our space systems, we need an exceptional mechanical engineer to own the top-level mechanical design, CAD configuration, and physical integration of a clean-sheet cargo vehicle.

You will be responsible for developing and maintaining the integrated vehicle CAD model, establishing the mechanical configuration, and ensuring that structures, cargo, avionics, thermal systems, mechanisms, propulsion, and other subsystems come together into a coherent and manufacturable vehicle.

This is a highly cross-functional role at the center of the vehicle design. You will work with subsystem responsible engineers to establish interfaces, drive packaging trades, identify and resolve integration conflicts, and mature the vehicle from early concepts through detailed design, build, integration, test, and flight operations.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the top-level integrated CAD model and mechanical configuration of a clean-sheet cargo vehicle.
• Develop vehicle-level layouts and packaging concepts that satisfy mission, structural, cargo, subsystem, manufacturing, integration, and operational requirements.
• Establish and maintain the vehicle CAD architecture, including assembly structure, coordinate systems, interface geometry, envelopes, keep-out zones, and other configuration-critical features.
• Lead vehicle-level mechanical integration across primary and secondary structures, cargo, avionics, thermal systems, propulsion, mechanisms, harnessing, fluid systems, and other vehicle subsystems.
• Work with subsystem responsible engineers to define and manage mechanical interfaces and ensure their designs integrate into the overall vehicle configuration.
• Lead packaging and configuration trades involving vehicle geometry, cargo volume, mass properties, accessibility, serviceability, assembly sequence, subsystem routing, and structural load paths.
• Identify integration conflicts early and drive cross-functional teams to resolution.
• Own vehicle-level clearance and interference management and ensure the integrated configuration remains internally consistent as designs mature.
• Drive configuration maturity from conceptual layouts through preliminary and critical design, released hardware, vehicle assembly, and integration.
• Support vehicle mass properties development by maintaining accurate configuration, component location, and orientation within the integrated model.
• Ensure the vehicle configuration accounts for manufacturing, assembly, integration, test, transportation, ground handling, and operational constraints.
• Develop and maintain interface definition products and other documentation necessary to communicate and control the vehicle's mechanical configuration.
• Support design reviews by clearly communicating vehicle configuration, major trades, integration risks, open interfaces, and design maturity to engineering teams and leadership.
• Create detailed mechanical designs and drawings where needed, applying sound engineering fundamentals, GD&T, and tolerance analysis.
• Work directly with manufacturing, integration, and test teams to resolve vehicle-level issues as hardware moves from CAD into reality.
• Serve as the technical authority for the integrated mechanical configuration of the vehicle, from initial concept through mission operations.

About You

You are a systems-minded mechanical engineer who understands that a vehicle is more than a collection of independently optimized subsystems. You naturally think about interfaces, packaging, assembly, accessibility, load paths, configuration, and how changes in one part of the vehicle propagate through the rest of the design.

You are equally comfortable working in a top-level CAD assembly, leading a cross-functional packaging trade, reviewing a detailed mechanical interface, or walking the floor with manufacturing and integration teams to resolve a hardware issue.

You thrive in clean-sheet design environments where interfaces are still being defined and the answer is not already captured in an ICD. You can create order from ambiguity, make sound technical decisions with incomplete information, and drive a diverse engineering team toward an integrated vehicle solution.

You are a giver, not a taker. You help the broader team succeed, take ownership of problems that cross organizational boundaries, and build trust by consistently driving issues to closure.

Required Attributes

• 14+ years of industry experience in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.
• Demonstrated ownership of complex mechanical systems or vehicle-level integration efforts.
• Expert-level proficiency with 3D CAD and large assembly management using NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo, or similar tools.
• Experience developing and maintaining top-level vehicle, aircraft, spacecraft, or other complex mechanical assemblies.
• Strong understanding of mechanical packaging, interfaces, tolerance management, assembly architecture, and configuration control.
• Ability to develop integrated vehicle layouts while balancing competing structural, thermal, electrical, operational, manufacturing, and subsystem requirements.
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals and working knowledge of primary structures, secondary structures, mechanisms, pressure systems, and other vehicle hardware.
• Knowledge of vehicle environments including acceleration, vibration, shock, pressure, and thermal loading and an understanding of how these environments influence mechanical design.
• Strong understanding and application of engineering drawing practices, GD&T, and ASME Y14.5.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional technical discussions and drive interface and integration issues to closure.
• Ability to clearly communicate complex technical concepts and configuration decisions to subsystem engineers, program leadership, manufacturing teams, and customers.
• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical field.

Bonus Points for

• Ownership of the top-level CAD model or mechanical configuration for a spacecraft, launch vehicle, aircraft, or similarly complex system.
• Experience taking a clean-sheet vehicle from conceptual configuration through detailed design, manufacturing, integration, test, and operations.
• Experience establishing CAD architecture and configuration-management practices for a new vehicle program.
• Experience with spacecraft cargo or payload accommodation, including internal and external cargo interfaces.
• Experience performing vehicle-level packaging and configuration trades across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Experience with vehicle mass properties, including component location management, center-of-gravity trades, and configuration-dependent mass properties.
• Experience defining and managing mechanical Interface Control Documents (ICDs), interface geometry, keep-out zones, and subsystem envelopes.
• Experience integrating harnessing, fluid lines, avionics, thermal hardware, and other distributed systems within a constrained vehicle envelope.
• Experience with design-for-assembly, vehicle integration sequencing, ground support equipment, transportation, lifting, and handling.
• Experience supporting spacecraft or launch vehicle integration and test activities through flight.

Compensation and Benefits

Your level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the considerations of job-related knowledge and skills, education, and direct experience. Salary is just one component of the total employee package, which also includes company equity at an exciting time of company growth, as well as comprehensive medical, 401(k) retirement plan, a generous PTO policy, employee discounts, and more.