Senior Mechanical Engineer

Astrobotic is at the forefront of advancing space exploration and technology development. Our expertise spans from lunar rovers, landers, and infrastructure to spacecraft navigation, machine vision, and computing systems for in-space robotic applications. To date, the company has been contracted for two lunar missions, and has won more than 60 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Defense (DoD), and commercial technology contracts worth more than $600 million.

We recently launched and operated the first American lunar lander mission since the Apollo Program. Beyond helping lead America back to the Moon, Astrobotic developed and operates reusable vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rockets and continues to advance next-generation VTVL capabilities and advanced rocket engines. Established in 2007, Astrobotic is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, with a propulsion and test campus in Mojave, CA.

This position will be primarily involved in developing Xogdor, a clean-sheet vertical-takeoff vertical-landing rocket that will serve as a suborbital testbed to help NASA, defense and commercial customers to validate landing technologies for the Moon and beyond. Our Structures team is looking for one or more structural/mechanical engineers with a focus in composites design and test, to join us at the Mojave, CA location.

Please submit an updated portfolio to this application. Applications submitted without a portfolio, will NOT be considered for employment.

Job Responsibilities:

• Help to design, fabricate, integrate, and test the rocket’s primary and secondary structures with a focus on composite primary structures and metallic pressure vessels.
• Progress components thru the entire lifecycle:  concept, design, analysis, manufacturing, and flight test
• Interact closely with interfacing systems including thermal and propulsion, may also be called upon to work with customers or other departments within Astrobotic.
• Design, analysis and fabrication of welded pressure vessel and propellant tanks, pressure vessel interfaces and components such as anti-slosh baffles, structural bulkheads, liquid/gas fittings, quick disconnect fittings, slosh analysis, pressure vessel failure modes and NDE and failure testing.
• Design, analysis and fabrication of composite structures and molds for out-of-autoclave manual layups utilizing wet-layup manufacturing techniques, secondary bonding, and mechanical assembly methods.
• Assess designs for manufacturability, and support the manufacturing team with build instructions, non-conformance dispositions, and assembly tool design.
• Support development of internal manufacturing process and standards

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• 3+ years of composites experience in design and analysis 
• Demonstrated ability to design and analyze prototype components and tooling
• Demonstrated proficiency in Solidworks or relevant CAD systems
• Demonstrated ability to document and present summary results of project work
• Familiarity of design with and analysis of a wide range of materials (including common aerospace metals and composites) and material processes (including welding, composites manufacture, bonding, fastening and 3d printing).
• Familiarity with interfacing systems including aerodynamics, GNC, thermal, electrical and propulsion and how these systems may affect or depend on vehicle structures.
• Familiarity with installation and data acquisition/data analysis of various sensors for collecting structural and system data (strain gauges, thermocouples, pressure transducers, accelerometers, etc.).

Desired Skills & Qualifications:

• Solidworks skills beyond basic CAD work, such as drawing generation, FEA analysis, Flow Simulation, etc. or other relevant analysis packages including FEMAP or ANSYS.
• Familiarity with best practices for bonding and fastening composite structures.
• Drawing generation & GD&T
• Experience designing for part manufacturability.
• Large scale tooling design experience including assembly jigs, interface fixtures, lifting fixtures, drill guides, etc.
• Experience with additive manufacturing, i.e. design for AM, material properties, post-processing, etc.
• Awareness of aircraft assembly and repair methods including FAA AC 43.13-1B.
• Hands-on fabrication experience including manual mill and lathe, CNC operation, and common welding processes
• Familiarity with rocket launch conops, high speed aircraft, and operational space systems
• Analysis using hand calcs and basic FEA, including familiarity with references including Bruhn, Roark, AFFDL-TR-69-42 Air Force Stress Analysis Manual and MMPDS.
• Experience with ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code – Section VIII and AIAA S-080 Space Systems Metallic Pressure Vessels, Pressurized Structures and Pressure Components.

Compensation & Benefits:

The base salary range represents the low and high end of the anticipated salary range for this position. The actual base salary offered will depend on numerous factors, including individual performance, business objectives, and the candidate’s professional & educational experience. Base salary is just one component of Astrobotic’s competitive total rewards strategy.

Our total rewards package for full-time employees includes:

• Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits : Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Financial Protection : Company-paid life insurance and AD&D, voluntary short- and long-term disability coverage, plus voluntary life and supplemental insurance options
• Tax-Advantaged Accounts : Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) Retirement Plan : Immediate vesting with company match
• Work-Life Balance : Flexible Paid Time Off and company-paid holidays
• Well-Being Support : Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with counseling, mental health resources, and will preparation services
• Additional Voluntary Benefits : Accident and hospital indemnity coverage, as well as pet insurance

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more details about the specific compensation and benefits during the hiring process.

Export Control Regulations:

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. person which includes U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) including those individuals granted refugee or asylum status, or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Astrobotic Technology, Inc. does not discriminate in employment 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.

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation:

If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to [email protected] .