Head of Solar (Space)

TL;DR

Head of Solar (Space): Build, scale, and lead the Solar Engineering organization across design, manufacturing, process, and automation disciplines with an accent on solar hardware technical baseline end-to-end from array and module design through production delivery. Focus on identifying transformative technologies, setting strategic direction for high-rate production, and collaborating cross-functionally on requirements and best practices.

Los Angeles, CA. Must be a U.S. Person per ITAR (U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or certain protected individuals).

Salary: $200,000 - $250,000 + equity

Company

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown for missions from LEO to deep space, backed by $450M from leading investors and $500M in contracts.

What you will do

• Own the solar hardware technical baseline end-to-end: from array and module design through process qualification, tooling, automation, and flight-ready production delivery.
• Take hardware and mechanisms from conceptual design through qualification to on-orbit operations, including hands-on testing, analysis, and iterative refinement.
• Identify and invest in transformative technologies for improvements in rate, reliability, and unit economics.
• Set strategic direction for solar hardware design and manufacturing at scale, establishing systems, processes, and standards for high-rate production.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to establish product requirements, company processes, and best practices for hardware design and manufacturing.
• Represent Solar Engineering at executive level, driving alignment on technical direction, risk, and program execution.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or other relevant engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis in solar or electro-mechanical systems.
• 4+ years of experience building and leading large, multi-disciplinary engineering teams including managing managers and developing senior ICs.
• Demonstrated ability to own a complex engineering function end-to-end through major program phases.
• Executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with CAD or FEA software packages.

Nice to have

• Direct experience leading solar array engineering for space applications, spanning design, module interconnect processes, lamination, PVA construction, and flight array integration.
• Demonstrated background scaling a multi-disciplinary engineering organization from early-stage to full-rate production in high-reliability or aerospace environment.
• Hands-on background in robotics, vision-guided assembly, or electromechanical controls for manufacturing.
• Experience designing, building, and testing moving mechanical assemblies for aerospace applications.
• Experience with NASA-STD-5017, SMC-S-016, and GSFC-STD-7000 for in-space Moving Mechanism Assemblies.
• Experience with practical application of GD&T.

Culture & Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks.
• Fast-paced environment in a groundbreaking Series C space startup.
• Equity in the company.
• Encourages non-traditional career paths and motivated individuals excited about space missions.