Are you passionate about spacecraft design and analysis? If so, this is the perfect role for you! Loft flies multiple satellites per year and is looking for a lead Mechanical Engineer to serve as a subject matter expert within the mission and product team, supporting the larger company. This role requires a well-rounded mechanical engineer to support Loft's end to end missions and product development, with an expertise on structural analysis and test. You will be responsible for supporting "all things mechanical" for Loft missions, their customers, and their subcontractors.
About the Role:
Mechanical Lead for select Loft Missions
Develop, maintain, and own mechanical analysis budgets
Create and maintain detailed engineering drawings and 3D models using CAD software.
Conduct inspections and reviews of engineering documents and hardware.
Perform structural and thermal analysis of small payload components and spacecraft
Oversight of spacecraft level structural and thermal analysis
Develop, in collaboration with team members/customers, interface specifications, control documents and other design documents
Generate test plans and procedures for structural and thermal verification activities
Review and approve test environmental test reports
Support the Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) of all stages of a space mission, including identification and procurement of appropriate MGSE.
Work with suppliers, customers, and sub-contractors as mechanical point of contact to ensure successful mission execution.
Define and document requirements, specifications, and interfaces.
Work with a multi-disciplinary team to ensure successful mission execution
Must Haves:
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
5+ years of experience in spacecraft subsystems, payloads, and vehicle mechanical design and structural analysis.
Detailed understanding of GD&T and tolerance analysis.
Proficiency with Solidworks or similar CAD software
Pragmatic vibration testing experience (pre-test inputs, test oversight, data reduction, report generation).
Spacecraft level FEA experience. Expert level knowledge of at least one solver and pre/post processor package and cursory knowledge of others (Femap, Patran, Nastran, ANSYS, etc).
Concise analysis and test report generation
Experience in small satellite assembly, integration, and test campaigns with an emphasis on vibration and thermal testing
Ability to adapt to changing requirements and work in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
Strong attention to detail and accuracy
Experience delivering a spacecraft to standards such as ECSS and NASA GEVS
Proficiency with Solidworks or similar CAD software
Prepared to be challenged and sometimes work out of your comfort zone
Able to be accountable, autonomous, and take full ownership of projects
Nice to Haves:
Ability to perform Craig Bampton (CB) model reduction for launch authorities.
Experience with thermal/structural combined analysis modeling.
Practical experience in assembly and integration of satellite hardware.
Experience working in a customer facing role.
Proven experience in optical payloads integration.
Understanding of force-limited vibration and transfer functions
End-to-end satellite mission experience
Some of our Awesome Benefits:
100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
401(k) plan and equity options
Daily catered lunches and snacks in office
International exposure to our team in France
Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for birthing parent and 10 weeks for non-birthing parent
Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
Off-sites and many social events and celebrations
Relocation assistance when applicable
Additional Information
*Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions. We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes.
Who We Are
Loft: Space Made Simple.
Founded in 2017, Loft provides governments, companies, and research institutions with a fast, reliable, and simple way to deploy missions in orbit.
We integrate, launch, and operate spacecraft, offering end-to-end missions as a service across Earth observation, IoT connectivity, on-orbit AI, national security missions, and more. Leveraging our existing space infrastructure and an extensive inventory of satellite buses, Loft is reducing years-long integration and launch timelines to months. With more than 30 missions flown, Loft’s flight heritage and proven technologies enable customers to focus on their mission objectives.
With a growing fleet on track to reach 30 satellites by 2027, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France to meet accelerating demand for space infrastructure.
As an international company your resume will be reviewed by people across our offices so please attach a copy in English.
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