Senior Mechanical Engineer: Optical Payload, Space

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology.

Anduril's Space team is dedicated to expanding AI-powered capabilities into space, enhancing Space Domain Awareness, Space Control, and Command and Control for U.S. military and allied partners.

Responsibilities

• Create opto-mechanical designs of space payloads ranging from small cameras to large telescopes
• Act as Responsible Engineer: conduct analyses, visit vendors and test sites, define and execute test plans, and manage subsystem interfaces
• Run finite element models and hand calculations to predict stresses in mechanical and optical components
• Contribute to STOP analyses to evaluate structural and thermal effects on optical performance
• Conduct hand calculations and run higher-order thermal analyses to evaluate survival and operational on-orbit temperatures
• Design alignment features and conduct tolerance stack-ups enabling sub-arcsecond payload pointing and stability over large temperature ranges
• Own hardware design from concept to launch, intelligently pacing design maturity with a holistic program view
• Use first principles for every decision and continuously simplify designs
• Communicate pros and cons of system architectures with respect to mechanical design and packaging considerations
• Lead subsystem design reviews and provide clear status updates on timelines and technical progress
• Build prototypes, analyze failures, and transition successful designs to flight hardware and low-rate production
• Create excellent technical documentation
• Mentor junior engineers

Required Qualifications

• BS or higher degree in engineering or hard science
• Ability to obtain and hold U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• 5+ years of mechanical design experience and demonstrated track record of success
• Experience with exotic opto-mechanical materials
• Experience with tolerance stack-ups, mechanical alignments, kinematic mounting, and qualification test campaigns
• CAD proficiency and ability to create engineering drawings meeting industry standards
• Hands-on fabrication and assembly skills with hand tools, mill, lathe, etc.
• Strong fundamentals in optics, heat transfer, statics, solid mechanics, and materials
• Excellent attention to detail, highly motivated, self-starting, and autonomous
• Organized with ability to define scope and requirements for ambiguous problems
• Experience with high-reliability design, athermalization, and vibration/shock resistance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in NX/Teamcenter
• Hands-on technical project experience
• Parallel industry experience
• Ability to integrate electronic components into mechanical designs
• Coding experience in Python, MATLAB, or C++
• Structural or thermal testing experience

Benefits

• Competitive salary: $166,000-$220,000 USD
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
• Income protection: life and disability insurance
• Generous time off: highly competitive PTO plans
• Family planning and parenting support
• Mental health resources
• Professional development: annual reimbursement
• Commuter benefits
• Relocation assistance
• Retirement savings plan