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Portal Space Systems is building spacecraft for the next era of orbital operations, with a focus on maneuverability, resilience, and adaptability. As a Mechanisms Engineer, you will own mission-critical spacecraft mechanisms throughout their complete lifecycle—from requirements and conceptual design through detailed design, manufacturing, assembly, integration, verification, qualification, and flight support.
You will design and develop electromechanical actuators, hold-down and release mechanisms, separation systems, deployment hinges, dampers, latches, locking devices, and other precision mechanical assemblies. Your work will directly impact mission success, requiring you to establish mechanism architectures that provide accurate positioning, repeatable alignment, controlled motion, positive locking, and reliable operation throughout the mission.
Key responsibilities include translating spacecraft-level functional requirements into mechanism-level performance specifications (deployment accuracy, release force, stiffness, torque, preload, backlash, positional tolerance, life, and reliability). You will perform kinematic, dynamic, structural, and tolerance analyses to evaluate mechanism performance and support design decisions. This is a hands-on hardware development role requiring close collaboration across structures, avionics, guidance/navigation/control, thermal, propulsion, manufacturing, integration, test, systems engineering, and external suppliers.
You will be expected to move quickly, make sound engineering decisions, and take full ownership of mechanisms whose successful operation directly affects mission success. The role demands experience with spacecraft mechanisms, precision mechanical design, and the ability to navigate the full product lifecycle in a fast-paced, mission-critical environment.
