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Apex manufactures satellite buses (spacecraft platforms) at scale for the commercial space industry. As launch costs decrease and payload demand increases, Apex is scaling production of these spacecraft that enable earth observation, communications, and other critical missions.
You will own the mechanical design of propulsion modules that integrate onto Apex spacecraft. This includes designing the module structure, mounting interfaces, and installation of flow controllers, PPUs, thrusters, and other propulsion hardware. You'll design structures to meet vehicle-level requirements including launch loads, vibration, shock, and thermal environments while conforming to vehicle interface control documents (ICDs).
What makes this role distinctive: the propulsion components you're integrating are designed and built in-house at Apex. You'll work directly with the engineers who own thrusters, cathodes, flow controllers, and PPUs, influencing their mechanical, thermal, and interface design so components and module are optimized together from the start. You'll also partner closely with manufacturing throughout the design cycle, supporting first builds and incorporating production-floor feedback as the company scales.
Key responsibilities include: owning mechanical design and structural analysis (hand calculations and FEA); defining mechanical, thermal, and structural interfaces between components and module; performing strength, stiffness, and margin verification; designing against mass, cost, and power budgets; driving design-for-manufacturing and design-for-assembly; managing component and assembly drawings, tolerance stack-ups, and fastening specifications; supporting build, integration, and test of flight hardware; and providing technical mentorship to mechanical and integration engineers.
This is a senior individual-contributor role with significant design ownership and technical leadership scope on a team building propulsion modules for serial production.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, or related engineering field
- 6+ years of relevant mechanical or aerospace engineering experience with Bachelor's or Master's degree, OR Ph.D. in mechanical/aerospace engineering with 3+ years of relevant industry experience; substantial experience in structural design and hardware installation/integration required
- Strong command of structural design and analysis: load paths, strength and stiffness, fasteners and joints, tolerance stack-ups, hand calculations, and FEA
- Experience designing hardware to survive launch and space environments (vibration, shock, thermal) and verifying designs against requirements
- Experience installing and integrating discrete components (propulsion, avionics, fluidic, spacecraft hardware) into structural assemblies, including interface definition and ICD conformance
- Proficiency with CAD, engineering drawings, and GD&T; experience owning hardware from concept through release, build, and test
- Experience working directly with manufacturing and production teams to transition designs into hardware and resolve build/integration issues
- Ability to design against mass, cost, and power budgets and make sound engineering trades
- Ability to communicate clearly and drive technical decisions across engineering, manufacturing, and production disciplines
- Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual) as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15)
NICE TO HAVE:
- Direct experience with spacecraft propulsion modules, feed systems, or propulsion component integration
- Experience designing spacecraft or aerospace hardware for serial or high-rate production, including design-for-manufacturing and design-for-assembly
- Familiarity with electric propulsion components (thrusters, flow controllers, PPUs) and their mechanical, thermal, fluidic, and electrical interfaces
- Experience with propellant feed-system routing, fluidic components, and cleanliness/contamination control
- Experience collaborating directly with component design teams to co-optimize hardware and system-level integration
- Experience supporting environmental qualification testing (vibration, shock, TVAC)
- Experience supporting flight hardware through integration, qualification, launch, and/or on-orbit operations
