Senior Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Mission Mechanical Lead

Full Timesenior

San Jose, CAPosted 5 weeks ago

Role Overview

Muonspace is hiring a Senior Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Mission Mechanical Lead. This is a full-time role in San Jose. Part of Muonspace's Qa hiring. Full responsibilities, required qualifications, and the apply link are listed in the description below.

Salary Context

Salary is not disclosed in this posting. Market median for Senior-level Qa roles is $120k-$140k (based on 25 comparable listings). Many employers share specifics during the interview process or after an initial screen.

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Job description

About the role

Muon seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to serve as a Mission Mechanical Lead on upcoming missions. In this role, you’ll be working with our customers and system engineers to design a solution that meets mission requirements by re-using existing platform components & designing new components that are unique to the mission.

You’ll own the mechanical direction of the mission from requirements definition to installation on the launch vehicle. This will include direct collaboration with the customer, as well as Muon’s systems engineering team to understand requirements, then an execution focus internally, pulling in relevant stakeholders (such as structural, thermal, electrical, etc) at the appropriate times to deliver a robust satellite on-time.

This role requires onsite work at our Mountain View and San Jose locations.

Responsibilities

Have a deep understanding of Muon’s spacecraft platforms & capabilities, and tailor these platforms to meet mission needs.
Design, build, and test mission specific components and payloads.
Create, analyze, and refine the full spacecraft mechanical designs in SolidWorks.
Design & document new, reusable components to be included in Muon’s common platform.
Lead mechanical portion of both internal and external design reviews.
Interface with structural and thermal engineers to define and run analysis.
Lead environmental testing campaigns (vibration, TVAC, etc)
Write new documentation and build procedures unique to the mission.

Required Qualifications

8+ years of experience designing, building, and testing high reliability hardware
Demonstrated proficiency leading mechanical design for spacecraft or complex electromechanical systems
Experience technically leading or managing a small team of engineers and/or technicians
Proficiency in CAD (SolidWorks preferred) for medium-to-large assembly design and management
Mastery of drawings, GD&T, BOMs, FAIs, tolerance budgets, and mass budgets
Experience with ECO/DCO processes and PLM systems
Extensive documentation capabilities: build procedures, test plans, design trades, DOEs
Experience managing external vendors for part prototyping and development
Excellent communication, presentation, and cross-functional coordination skills
B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Nice-to-have Skills

Flight heritage—hardware you designed that has successfully operated in space
Experience optimizing and maturing existing designs (not only clean-sheet development)
Familiarity with satellite payloads and mission-level mechanical integration
Experience with deployable hardware (solar arrays, antennas, mechanisms)
Experience with ADCS components: reaction wheels, torque rods, star trackers
Experience running structural analyses (FEMAP, ANSYS) & environmental testing
Experience with thermal management systems for spacecraft
Software skills in Python, MATLAB, or similar
Project management experience: customer reviews, Gantt charts, risk tracking
Experience qualifying external vendors and contract manufacturers

Salary

The salary range for this role is $183,000 - $198,000 plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.

Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.

About Muonspace

Muonspace

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the Senior Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Mission Mechanical Lead position at Muonspace?

Use the Apply button above to submit your application directly to Muonspace. Most applications take less than 5 minutes if your resume and contact details are ready, and you'll be routed to the employer's official application system to finish.

Where is the Senior Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Mission Mechanical Lead position at Muonspace located?

This position is based in San Jose. Muonspace has not indicated remote or hybrid options for this role, so candidates should plan for on-site work.

What does a Senior Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Mission Mechanical Lead at Muonspace earn?

Muonspace has not disclosed a salary range in this posting. Many employers share specifics later in the interview process; you can also ask during a recruiter screen if compensation transparency is important to you.

When was the Senior Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Mission Mechanical Lead role at Muonspace posted?

This role was posted on May 29, 2026 (41 days ago). It's still listed as actively hiring; we re-confirm openings against the source system multiple times per day and remove closed roles.

How much experience does the Senior Mechanical Engineer - Spacecraft Mission Mechanical Lead role at Muonspace require?

This is a senior-level position. Most senior roles call for 5+ years of directly relevant experience. Muonspace lists their specific requirements in the description below, so review the must-have qualifications closely before applying.

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