Mechanical Engineer, Space Based Interceptors (Senior - Staff)

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical authority and subject matter expert in Space Based Interceptors and hypersonic vehicle mechanical design, providing engineering leadership across interceptor, kill vehicle, and hypersonic flight vehicle programs.
• Own and drive the full mechanical architecture of flight vehicle structures and systems — from system-level requirements definition and concept development through qualification, flight certification, and lessons learned capture.
• Define structural design philosophy, sizing criteria, and margins of safety for flight vehicle primary and secondary structures across high-dynamic-pressure, high-g maneuver, and thermally coupled hypersonic flight environments.
• Lead the design and development of guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) hardware and seeker packaging architectures, establishing integration standards for precision optical and RF sensor assemblies within highly constrained kill vehicle and interceptor envelopes.
• Own the thermal protection system (TPS) design strategy for hypersonic and re-entry flight vehicles, including material selection, panel and tile integration architecture, aeroheating-driven structural trades, and qualification approach for ablative, ceramic, and composite TPS systems.
• Lead mechanical integration of propulsion subsystems, including solid rocket motor structural interfaces, divert and attitude control system (DACS) packaging, nozzle and TVC structural design, and cross-discipline coordination with propulsion engineers to ensure system-level compliance.
• Define and maintain vehicle-level mechanical interface control documents (ICDs), mass properties reports, and configuration baselines across program milestones.
• Chair and lead formal vehicle design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR) and drive closure of technical risks, RFIs, and subsystem interface actions across the engineering team.
• Establish and enforce GD&T standards, drawing conventions, and CAD model management practices across the mechanical engineering team.
• Collaborate with systems engineering, aerodynamics, thermal, GN&C, and propulsion teams to derive and flow down mechanical requirements, perform requirements verification, and support IV&V activities.
• Develop and approve structural and environmental qualification and acceptance test plans, witness testing, and resolve anomalies and non-conformances against program requirements.
• Leverage spacecraft and space environment design expertise — including precision mechanisms, electronics packaging, and launch load structural design — to inform cross-domain solutions and bring asymmetric technical advantage to Space Based Interceptors and hypersonic programs.
• Provide technical mentorship and career development guidance to junior and mid-level mechanical engineers, building team capability and domain expertise in Space Based Interceptors and hypersonic systems.
• Partner with program management and business development to support proposal efforts, schedule and resource planning, and new program captures in Space Based Interceptors and hypersonic domains.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7–15+ years of professional experience in mechanical design, with the majority spent on Space Based Interceptors, hypersonic vehicle, or high-performance flight system programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in flight vehicle structural design for high-dynamic-pressure, thermally coupled, and high-g flight environments, including experience across multiple interceptor, kill vehicle, or re-entry system programs.
• Extensive hands-on experience with guidance and seeker packaging architecture, including precision optical or RF sensor integration, alignment and retention design, vibration isolation, and EMI management within kill vehicle or interceptor envelopes.
• Deep experience with TPS design and high-temperature materials, including ablative, ceramic, and composite systems, and ownership of TPS qualification approaches for hypersonic or re-entry applications.
• Proven experience leading mechanical integration of propulsion subsystems, including solid rocket motor interfaces, DACS packaging, and TVC structural design, with full cross-discipline coordination responsibility.
• Expert-level proficiency in NX (Siemens) and/or SolidWorks, including complex multi-subsystem vehicle assemblies, configuration management, and CAD team leadership.
• Mastery of GD&T principles, with experience defining and enforcing drawing and model standards across a program or organization.
• Proven track record of leading flight vehicle hardware programs from concept through test or flight certification, including full ownership of technical risk and schedule.
• Experience chairing or leading formal vehicle design reviews at the subsystem or full vehicle level.
• Strong familiarity with relevant defense and aerospace standards (e.g., MIL-SPEC, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-1540, AIAA S-110) and their application to design, analysis, and test.
• Experience with configuration management, MES, and PLM tools (e.g., TeamCenter, Windchill) at a program leadership level.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical topics to executive, program, and customer audiences.