Senior/Lead Mechanical Engineer

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design, development, and validation of spacecraft mechanical systems, including structures, mechanisms, and thermal hardware
• Perform structural analysis using FEA to evaluate stiffness, strength, vibration modes, and margins of safety
• Collaborate with immediate and cross-functional teams to define mechanical interfaces and support system integration
• Create CAD models, detailed drawings, and documentation to support manufacturing, assembly, and testing
• Support environmental and functional testing efforts (e.g., vibration, thermal, deployment), including test setup and data collection
• Participate in design reviews and help identify and mitigate technical risks early in the development cycle
• Absorb hands-on prototyping, hardware builds, and integration activities

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• 5+ years of experience designing and testing complex mechanical systems in the aerospace industry
• Proficient in 3D CAD (e.g., NX, SolidWorks) and engineering analysis tools (FEA, thermal, tolerance analysis)
• Demonstrated experience with full product lifecycle: from early prototyping through flight hardware delivery
• Hands-on experience with mechanical assembly, integration, and testing
• Strong collaboration and communication skills across disciplines and with external partners

Pay

Base Salary: $120,000 - $190,000/year

Legal Eligibility to Work

We are only able to consider U.S. persons for this role. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), or have refugee/asylee status. Applicants on temporary work visas (such as H-1B, TN, O-1, etc.) are not eligible.

Equal Employment Opportunity

AscendArc is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor or legally protected status.