Senior Mechanical Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Burlingame, California, United States; on-site

Salary: $173K–$218K annually, plus equity.

Company

hirify.global develops Pulsar, a low Earth orbit satellite infrastructure platform for real-time, centimeter-level positioning and navigation.

What you will do

• Own complex mechanical subsystems from requirements and concept through design, qualification, and production support.
• Lead mechanical trade studies, spacecraft layouts, and architecture decisions covering load paths, packaging, thermal interfaces, reliability, cost, manufacturability, and integration.
• Design flight hardware and critical ground support equipment; release CAD, drawings, bills of materials, interface definitions, GD&T, tolerance analyses, and configuration-controlled documentation.
• Perform and assess first-principles calculations and structural FEA, build prototypes and fixtures, develop functional tests, and support vibration and thermal-vacuum campaigns.
• Resolve build, integration, test, and production anomalies through root-cause investigation, corrective action, and verification.
• Coordinate suppliers and cross-functional mechanical, thermal, electrical, payload, GNC, manufacturing, and integration-and-test teams; review designs and mentor engineers.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering field.
• 7+ years of mechanical hardware development experience, including responsibility for complex assemblies or subsystems in aerospace or another high-reliability field.
• Independent experience taking hardware from requirements and concept through detailed design, build, and qualification or equivalent verification.
• Strong mechanical fundamentals in load paths, joints and fasteners, materials, thermal and optical properties, manufacturing processes, GD&T, and tolerance analysis.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD and drawing release using SolidWorks or a comparable platform, with disciplined PDM and configuration management.
• Ability to perform and critically assess structural calculations and FEA, understand modeling assumptions, and reconcile analysis with physical test results.
• Hands-on experience assembling, inspecting, troubleshooting, and testing hardware, including resolving integration or production issues.
• Demonstrated judgment in technical tradeoffs, cross-disciplinary communication, design reviews, and mentoring.
• For the U.S. role, applicants must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or other protected individuals under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), due to U.S. Government space technology export regulations.

Nice to have

• Spacecraft hardware, launch environment, or other high-reliability hardware experience.
• Experience with deployment or separation mechanisms, precision assemblies, electronics packaging, or spacecraft handling and lifting equipment.
• Experience supporting vibration, shock, or thermal-vacuum testing and applying test results to improve hardware.
• Experience transitioning designs into repeatable production, resolving supplier issues, or improving assembly and inspection processes.
• Experience leading subsystem architecture, managing complex supplier deliverables, or coordinating interfaces with launch providers or deployer vendors.

Culture & Benefits

• Hands-on individual contributor role with substantial autonomy and technical leadership responsibilities.
• Direct collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, and integration teams.
• Full-time, on-site work in Burlingame, California.
• Compensation includes equity; the final level and offer depend on education, qualifications, skills, abilities, and relevant experience.
• Commitment to diversity and an inclusive workplace.