Senior Mechanical Engineer

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Mechanical Lead for select Loft missions, owning mechanical analysis budgets and end-to-end product development
• Create and maintain detailed engineering drawings and 3D models using CAD software
• Perform structural and thermal analysis of small payload components and spacecraft
• Generate test plans and procedures for structural and thermal verification activities
• Support Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT) of all mission stages, including MGSE procurement
• Work with suppliers, customers, and subcontractors as the primary mechanical point of contact
• Define and document requirements, specifications, and interfaces in collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
• 5+ years of experience in spacecraft subsystems, payloads, and vehicle mechanical design
• Proficiency with Solidworks or similar CAD software
• Expertise in spacecraft-level FEA using solvers such as Femap, Nastran, or ANSYS
• Detailed understanding of GD&T and tolerance analysis
• Practical experience with vibration and thermal testing, including data reduction and report generation
• Experience delivering spacecraft to ECSS and NASA GEVS standards
• Ability to work autonomously and take full ownership of complex projects in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to perform Craig Bampton (CB) model reduction for launch authorities
• Experience with thermal/structural combined analysis modeling
• Practical experience in the assembly and integration of satellite hardware
• Proven experience with optical payloads integration
• Understanding of force-limited vibration and transfer functions
• End-to-end satellite mission experience

Benefits

• Equity options to participate in company success
• Up to 35 days of Paid Time Off (vacations & RTT) and flexible working hours
• Health and life insurance
• Lunch vouchers
• Cross-office travel opportunities between San Francisco, Colorado, and Toulouse
• Relocation assistance to Toulouse where applicable

About the Company

Loft Orbital Solutions 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, and national security.