Structures and Mechanisms Manufacturing Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Hawthorne, California; onsite

Salary: $155,000–$175,000 per year

Company

Astrolab designs and builds lunar rovers, power systems, and data networks for sustained operations on the Moon.

What you will do

• Design and develop fabrication, assembly, integration, and test processes for flight-qualified structural hardware, metallic and composite assemblies, deployable mechanisms, actuators, hinges, latches, and precision mechanisms.
• Drive design for excellence across the product life cycle and develop fabrication and assembly standards.
• Support rover design, facility and process development, supply chain activities, supplier development, quality systems, configuration management, procurement, and production planning.
• Lead non-conformance investigations, hands-on troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Develop work instructions, build and test documentation, and internal design, construction, and verification specifications.
• Create detailed project plans and coordinate cross-functional execution of rover subassembly, subsystem, and final vehicle integration activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 5+ years of experience in production, R&D, manufacturing engineering, or test operations supporting structures and mechanisms for flight-critical hardware.
• Experience with electro-mechanical systems, precision mechanism assembly and integration, engineering drawings, and GD&T in accordance with ASME Y14.5.
• Experience with composite manufacturing or precision machining, CAD modeling, root cause investigations, corrective actions, and quality or configuration systems.
• Ability to periodically travel for field testing events and lift 50 lbs.
• Experience with spacecraft or NASA programs, cleanroom assembly, instrumentation, safety regulations, NDE, harnessing, or relevant aerospace standards is valuable.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree in a relevant STEM field.
• Experience supporting human-rated spacecraft or NASA programs.
• Siemens NX, JIRA, MES/MRP software, and Excel experience.
• Knowledge of SMC-S-016, SMC-S-017, NASA-STD-8739.4, J-STD-001, or IPC/WHMA-A-620.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on lunar rovers and systems for planetary surface exploration.
• Equity ownership in the company.
• Medical, dental, vision, and mental health benefits.
• 401(k) plan with company match, flexible PTO, and parental leave.
• Weekly lunch stipend, onsite snacks and beverages, and monthly onsite social events.

Hiring process

• Application review and recruiter phone interview.
• Hiring manager virtual interview and video interviews.
• Onsite interview followed by an offer and hiring decision.