Mechanical Engineer II, Solar & Deployables

Muon seeks a Mechanical Engineer to design and build hardware for our new Solar & Deployables group — the team responsible for the solar arrays and deployable systems that power our spacecraft.

About the role

Working alongside the group's senior and staff engineers, you'll take real ownership of components and assemblies: designing them, releasing them, prototyping them, and proving them out in test. This is a hands-on design role with a fast build-test-learn loop. You'll see your hardware go from CAD to flight, and you'll help carry designs from first prototypes through constellation-quantity production. This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Design components and assemblies for solar arrays and deployable systems — structures, mechanism components, and supporting hardware — from concept through detailed design and release
• Produce and release engineering documentation: drawings, GD&T, BOMs, and tolerance stacks under configuration control
• Build and test prototypes to evaluate design concepts and retire risk early
• Support qualification and acceptance test campaigns, including deployment testing with gravity offload and environmental test (vibration, TVAC)
• Perform first-order engineering analysis — margins, stiffness, and sizing hand calcs — to guide your designs, working with the group's analysts on detailed FEA
• Design test fixtures, GSE, and tooling that make hardware fast and repeatable to build and test
• Work with vendors on part fabrication, and support build procedures and work instructions for production
• Present your work in design reviews and incorporate feedback from senior engineers across disciplines

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience designing, building, and testing mechanical hardware
• Strong CAD skills (SolidWorks preferred) for component and assembly design
• Solid command of drawings, GD&T, BOMs, and tolerance stacks
• Hands-on prototyping and test experience with a bias for learning through hardware
• Familiarity with common fabrication methods (machining, sheet metal, composites, or additive)
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with a strong desire to learn in a fast-paced environment
• B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field

Skills

• Experience with spacecraft hardware, deployables, or precision mechanisms
• Structural analysis experience: hand calculations or FEA (FEMAP/NASTRAN, ANSYS, or similar)
• Experience with environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, shock)
• Composite panel or bonded-joint design experience
• Experience with PLM systems and ECO/DCO processes
• Software skills in Python, MATLAB, or similar

Pay

The salary range for this role is $144,000 - $177,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401k retirement plan
• Short & long term disability and life insurance
• Three weeks paid vacation for new employees
• 12 paid holidays
• Unlimited sick time
• Paid parental leave

ITAR/EAR Requirements: This position requires access to export controlled information. Applicant must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee), eligible to access the information without export authorization, or eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization.