- Robot type
- Drone · Defense
- Location
- ChantillyVirginiaUSA
- Job type
- Hardware
- Posted
- Aug 27, 2026
- Salary
- $220,000–$292,000 a year
Full-time
Principal Mechanical Engineer, Space Special Programs
Job description
In the Space Special Programs team, we build spacecraft and space systems which serve a wide variety of functions in the space architecture. At a time when space superiority can no longer be taken for granted and with space systems proliferating at an incredible rate, the Space Special Programs team provides advanced, mission critical capabilities to our customer base to be able to more effectively operate and survive within this expanding environment with limited personnel.
We are looking for a Principal Mechanical Engineer to join our rapidly growing team in Chantilly, VA. In this role, you will be responsible for the full cycle design for spacecraft and associated systems including…
Job responsibilities
- Work with a cross-functional team to design market leading hardware products
- Drive product maturity through rapid prototyping, design verification, and qualification activities
- Apply modern space-flight hardware design standards and guidelines to create high-reliability, highly manufacturable assemblies , and a team which implements them.
- Implement a variety of structural components and mechatronics, with associated environmental testing to assure robustness in the context of the various missions as well as to characterize performance envelopes of the…
- Use rapid prototyping, 3D printing, and hands-on machining as appropriate to iterate quickly and allow for creative “outside-the-box" thinking
- Conduct peer-level and cross-discipline design reviews and mentor your team
- Root cause analysis in support of production operations
- Work in a fast-paced environment, having to juggle multiple concurrent projects and customers
Job requirements
- 15+ years of professional experience in hardware product development, at least 5 designing space flight hardware
- Basic understanding of PCB Layout requirements to meet space flight mechanical, and manufacturing requirements
- Experience in ground-up system design and any 3-D CAD
- Hands-on assembly, prototyping, testing, and performance characterization of mechanisms designed for 0g but in a 1g environment.
- Experience designing and building very small mechanisms, components, and systems.
- Familiarity with launch environments, testing for launch environments, range safety, and system integration efforts
- Demonstrated creativity and “out of the box thinking” for spacecraft mechanisms with an eye toward simplicity and reliability
- Understanding of NASA-GEVS (or equivalent) and firm understanding and experience with all facets of spaceflight environmental testing