Principal Turbomachinery Engineer

About the role

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space. The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits. With multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for turbomachinery mechanisms in the spacecraft active thermal control system, including:
  • Architectural down-selection, design, and tolerancing
  • Pump- and mechanism-specific analyses (rotor dynamics, bearings and seals, hydraulic performance, structural, thermal-fluid)
  • Environmental test and qualification plans
  • Ground- and in-flight performance validation plans
  • Supply chain and high-volume manufacturing trades
• Partner with the thermal and platform architecture teams to scope the long-term K2 pumped-fluid-loop roadmap, and system performance requirements
• Collaborate with thermal, structures, avionics, and satellite bus teams to determine optimal operations and requirements for the pump, supporting mechanisms, and broader fluid loop
• Prepare design reviews to secure stakeholder buy-in and communicate expectations across hardware, software, test, and manufacturing teams
• Own and refine program deliverables and schedules throughout development and production
• Evaluate and select manufacturing equipment for specialty processes (impeller machining, rotating-assembly balancing, leak/flow test)
• Partner with production to develop work instructions, in-process checkouts, and end-of-line tests

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or other relevant engineering discipline
• 8+ years of experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis
• 2+ years of experience design and analysis of turbomachinery in harsh environments
• Experience with CAD or FEA software packages

Nice to Have

• Experience designing, building, and testing centrifugal or axial pumps for closed-loop thermal systems, including impeller geometry, volute/diffuser design, and hydraulic performance prediction
• Experience with NASA-STD-5017, SMC-S-016, and GSFC-STD-7000 for the design and qualification of in-space Moving Mechanism Assemblies