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Apex manufactures satellite buses (spacecraft platforms) at scale for the commercial space industry. As a Spacecraft Design Engineer, you will be a foundational team member responsible for defining the future of Apex's satellite platforms, operating at the design and development phase of the product lifecycle.
You will act as a platform-level integrator and architect, translating mission needs into clear system requirements, interfaces, and design trades that downstream teams execute with confidence.
Key responsibilities include:
**System Architecture & Design**
- Define and evolve end-to-end satellite system architectures across multiple mission profiles
- Perform system-level trade studies to optimize performance, reliability, cost, mass, and schedule
- Analyze and allocate system requirements to spacecraft subsystems
- Define and maintain system interfaces and interface control documents (ICDs)
**Requirements & Technical Ownership**
- Define, document, and manage platform-level requirements during early lifecycle phases
- Maintain traceability between customer needs, system requirements, and subsystem designs
- Identify technical risks early and develop mitigation strategies
- Perform system-level analyses (margins, sensitivities, FMEA) to inform design decisions
**Cross-Functional Collaboration**
- Collaborate closely with propulsion, avionics, power, structures, thermal, software, and manufacturing teams
- Translate mission concepts into executable platform designs
- Support internal design reviews and customer technical discussions
- Prepare designs for transition into integration, test, and qualification
Apex is a fast-growing startup that has raised more than $500M in funding. The company manufactures satellite buses using a combination of software, vertical integration, and hardware designed for manufacturing. Benefits include equity, 100% company-paid medical/dental/vision, 15-20+ days vacation plus 10 paid holidays, 401(k) matching, 8 weeks paid parental leave, catered lunch, and a world-class office in Playa Vista with flexibility for in-person collaboration.
**Requirements**
- U.S. Person status (ability to access export-controlled data)
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred)
- 6+ years of experience working on complex hardware systems (spacecraft preferred)
- Strong understanding of satellite subsystems and their interactions
- Experience with system-level trade studies, requirements definition, and interface management
- Strong analytical, communication, and documentation skills
**Preferred Qualifications**
- Experience developing satellite platforms or spacecraft buses
- Familiarity with requirements management or modeling tools (e.g., SysML, Jira, Excel)
- Experience supporting early validation or risk-reduction testing
- Familiarity with aerospace systems engineering best practices
