Astrobotic Technology, Inc. is a space robotics company that seeks to make space accessible to the world. The company’s suite of lunar landers delivers payloads to the Moon for companies, governments, universities, non-profits, and individuals. The company is also developing advanced space robotics capabilities such as terrain relative navigation, mobile robotics for lunar surface operations, and reliable computing systems for mission-critical applications. Originally spun out of Carnegie Mellon University in 2007, Astrobotic is pioneering affordable planetary access that promises to spark a new era of exploration, science, tourism, resource utilization, and mining.  Astrobotic’s headquarters is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a second location in Mojave, California.

Position Scope:

• Providing engineering expertise in the area of design, development, analysis and test of aerospace systems
• Working across Astrobotic’s Propulsion and Test Programs, with a focus on the Xogdor Flight Test Vehicle.
• Coordinating with other divisions in the company to develop a complete mechanical solution for various projects
• Providing management, mentorship, and guidance to technical team members

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead the VTVL structures and mechanisms team, direct day-day tasking and activities, mentor junior engineers
• Design mechanical components to meet requirements
• Work with every other subsystem to ensure systems-level thinking in the design
• Assist in developing mechanical systems, test procedures, and requirements verification and validation
• Provide design analysis and test data to other team members
• Develop fabrication procedures and instructions working with the integration team
• Provide technical guidance to fabricators and other technicians

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Understands what is needed for high-quality VTVL mechanical systems – and also what is not needed
• Experience in the life cycle of VTVL vehicles or equivalent development: design, build, and test
• 5+ years’ experience in aerospace engineering
• 3+ years in mechanical design and/or test for a VTVL or comparable vehicle
• Experience with composite materials – layup schedules, mold design, post-processing, etc.
• Hands-on fabrication experience
• Must be able to adapt and thrive in a dynamic highly technical environment
• Strong working knowledge of industry-standard 3D CAD tools (SolidWorks required)
• Strong working knowledge of lightweight structures and mechanisms
• Experience in assembly and integration and testing
• Knowledge of ASME Y14.5 standard and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) principles
• Knowledge of Bill of Materials (BOM), manufacturing process, material sourcing, and supply chain management
• Experience in engineering drawing release, PDM, and configuration change management
• Experienced in producing component and assembly drawings in SolidWorks
• Experience with rapid prototyping and test
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong work ethic and intrinsic motivation

Desired Skills & Qualifications:

• B.S. Degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering
• Experience with startups or new space companies
• Experience leading teams of engineers and technicians in a development and/or test environment
• Experience with VTVL mechanics and mechanisms
• Experience with welding and manufacture of thin-walled pressure vessels

Salary Range: $130,000 – $170,000

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

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, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

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.

If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please contact us.

Tagged as: Vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL), engineering, mechanical, structural