Principal Mechanisms Manufacturing Engineer

k2spacecorporation · Los Angeles, CA · Los Angeles

<div class="content-intro">K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space. The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits. With multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.</div>The Role  Every rotational actuator, separation mechanism, gimbal, and reaction wheel that leaves your production line will fly on a satellite that has to work flawlessly the first time, with no one there to fix it once it's in orbit, and as a Principal, the standards you set will shape how every one of those mechanisms gets built for years to come. Partnering with the Mechanisms Engineering team from day one, you will build the first prototype, design the build flow and fixturing, and carry these mechanisms, along with the electromechanical assemblies and machined components they integrate into, from initial concept through high-rate production. In your first 6 months, you'll build test articles supporting the team's development and qualification campaigns and provide the Design-for-Excellence (DFX) guidance that shapes how these mechanisms get built. Beyond your own programs, you will set manufacturing policy and standards, flag risk in upcoming designs before it becomes a problem, plan ahead for the manufacturability of future programs, and build the tools that make the rest of the Manufacturing Engineering team faster and more effective.  Responsibilities  <ul> <li>Lead DFX reviews with the Mechanisms Engineering team, providing manufacturability, testability, and assembly guidance across mechanisms, machined components, and assemblies for initial design, flight hardware, and tooling </li> <li>Lead the development of innovative manufacturing systems for spacecraft mechanisms, including rotational actuators, separation mechanisms, gimbals, and reaction wheel assemblies </li> <li>Set manufacturing policy, standards, and best practices for the Manufacturing Engineering organization, proactively identifying and mitigating manufacturability, process, and quality risks before they surface </li> <li>Plan manufacturing strategy, tooling, and capacity investments ahead of future mechanism designs and program roadmaps </li> <li>Research and pilot new assembly methodologies and automation technologies, using data-driven analysis to optimize current production and inform manufacturing business decisions </li> <li><span d

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