Outpost

Principal Mechanical Engineer (Structures)

Los Angeles, California · Principal

Sponsorship not specifiedDetected 8 days ago

PythonMATLABCybersecurityLogisticsSolidWorksSiemens NXANSYSFEAStructural AnalysisGD&TMechanical Design

About the role

The Principal Mechanical Engineer will serve as the technical authority for the primary and secondary structures of Outpost's Carryall.
This is a role for a veteran structural engineer who has expertise on full-scale flight vehicles whether launch vehicles, satellites, or re-entry capsules.
Unlike traditional space vehicle roles where the structure simply needs to survive launch, you are designing for the round trip: launch vibration, the harsh vacuum of orbit, and the extreme thermal and mechanical loads of hypersonic re-entry and landing.

Lead the mechanical design of the entire vehicle structure, including primary structure, interfaces to the deployable heatshield, secondary structures, and payload bay
Perform and sign off on detailed hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis (ANSYS/FEMAP/NASTRAN). You will be the final check on stiffness, buckling, and thermal expansion compatibility.
Create and approve high-quality manufacturing drawings with appropriate geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (ASME Y14.5) to ensure parts fit the first time.
"Get your hands dirty" leading the assembly of your designs. Own the structural test campaign (static load, random vibration, shock, and deployment testing) to qualify hardware for flight.
Work directly with machine shops, composite vendors, and external partners to resolve fabrication conflicts and ensure on-time delivery of precision parts.
Elevate the team's standard of engineering rigor. Mentor junior engineers in design best practices, analysis methods, and First Principles thinking.

Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Structural Engineering.
10+ years of experience in the design and analysis of complex aerospace structures and mechanisms.
Proven track record working on space vehicles or rockets.
Experience taking a primary structure from concept through PDR/CDR to flight.
Experience in structural analysis (FEA) and classical hand calculations.
Working knowledge of aerospace materials (aluminum, titanium, Inconel, composites) and their behavior in extreme thermal environments.
Experience in designing for manufacturing, CNC machining, sheet metal, welding, and composite layup.
Active U.S. Government Security Clearance (Not required, but beneficial)
Experience with deployable space structures and mechanisms (booms, solar arrays, antennas, or aerobrakes).
Experience designing for high-heat environments or integrating with Thermal Protection Systems (TPS).
Expert-level skill in Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or similar parametric modeling software.
Experience in structural analysis (FEA) and classical hand calculations. You must trust your hand calcs before you trust the solver.

This listing is sourced directly from Outpost's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.