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Founding Mechanical Engineer

Pillar Space Systems · Los Angeles, CA · Remote

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About Pillar Space Systems

Reusable satellites that stay in orbit — rentable infrastructure for microgravity manufacturing. You bring the payload; the spacecraft is already there. Backed by South Park Commons.

About the role

We're seeking a Founding Mechanical Design Engineer to take ownership of structural and mechanical design from first principles — driving projects from concept through analysis, build, and qualification. In this role, you'll have a direct and significant impact on our technology and the team we build together. Own the end-to-end mechanical and structural design of cutting-edge flight-grade hardware — from concept through detailed design, prototyping, qualification, integration, and deployment.

What they're looking for

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline
  • 2+ years designing, building, analyzing, and testing complex mechanical or electromechanical hardware
  • Proficiency in professional CAD software (NX, CATIA, Creo, SolidWorks, or equivalent)
  • Strong fundamentals in machine design, structural sizing, mechanism design, and electromechanical integration
  • Experience with hand calculations, tolerance analysis, and FEA
  • Proficiency with GD&T and engineering drawing standards (ASME Y14.5)
More about this role

Equity: 0.3% – 1% depending on experience

We're a stealth team building space hardware at the edge of what's currently possible — high-stakes, flight-grade systems where the engineering bar is unforgiving and the upside is enormous. While we can't share full details yet, our founding and early engineering team includes talent from SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, and Impulse Space, the group includes people who've pulled off feats almost no one else on Earth has.

We're seeking a Founding Mechanical Design Engineer to take ownership of structural and mechanical design from first principles — driving projects from concept through analysis, build, and qualification. In this role, you'll have a direct and significant impact on our technology and the team we build together.

Own the end-to-end mechanical and structural design of cutting-edge flight-grade hardware — from concept through detailed design, prototyping, qualification, integration, and deployment.

Design precision mechanisms, interfaces, and electromechanical assemblies optimized for vacuum, vibration, thermal cycling, and microgravity.

Perform trade studies across mass, stiffness, payload, repeatability, thermal performance,...

Read the full posting on Pillar Space Systems's site ↗

Engineering

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