Mechanical Engineer

About the role

Outpost is building the missing infrastructure between orbit and Earth: reusable vehicles that can bring payloads back from space and deliver them to a precise location within hours. This role spans the full engineering lifecycle, design, analysis, drawing release, build support, and test.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechanical systems for atmospheric recovery, including deployable structures, aerodynamic decelerators, recovery mechanisms, airframe interfaces, and precision landing hardware from requirements through release, build support, and qualification.
• Develop CDR-level design packages: CAD, drawings, specifications, analysis, and test plans.
• Define and manage hardware requirements, interface with mission operations and payload customers.
• Perform or coordinate structural and thermal analysis to verify hardware margins.
• Write and execute qualification and acceptance test procedures, support environmental test campaigns.
• Participate in peer reviews and formal milestone reviews (CDR, TRR, etc.).
• Drive design reviews (PDR/CDR) and prepare clear documentation, drawings, BOMs, and work instructions.
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering.
• 5-10 years designing flight hardware structures and mechanisms.
• Experience taking hardware from concept to production and/or flight.
• Strong proficiency in CAD (SolidWorks, NX, or similar) and mechanical analysis tools (structural/thermal in Ansys - Solidworks).
• Experience designing structures, mechanisms, deployables, or aerodynamic structures (parachutes/paragliders, flaps, linkages, hinges, etc.).
• Understanding of load path, interfaces, and environmental requirements for high-energy flight environments.
• Experience executing rapid, hands-on prototypes to support fast design–build–test cycles.
• Excellent documentation, communication, and technical writing skills.
• Understanding of spacecraft environmental requirements (launch loads, shock, vibration, thermal).
• Write and read engineering requirements and interface control documents.
• Strong cross-functional communication - you'll work daily with systems, integration, and test engineers.

Preferred Experience

• Experience taking hardware through at least one formal design review (PDR or CDR); exposure to qualification testing strongly preferred.
• Experience with reentry systems, atmospheric flight vehicles, TPS interfaces, or parachute/paraglider systems.
• Background integrating soft goods with rigid structures.
• Experience in hypersonic, supersonic, or high-aero-load environments.
• Field test experience (drop tests, flight tests, parachute deployments, etc.).
• Familiarity with DOF-limited mechanisms and precision actuation in harsh environments.

Pay

$125,000 – $160,000; (commensurate with experience).

Schedule

In-person, five days per week.