{"id":2230011,"url":"https://alion.io/job/fortastra-sr-mechanical-engineer","title":"Sr. Mechanical Engineer","company":{"id":3910291,"name":"Fortastra","domain":"fortastra.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/fortastra","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":3,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-29T05:49:05Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Torrance, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":130000,"max":190000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":190000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-24T21:19:18Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-09","last_verified_at":"2026-10-29T23:27:34Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":35,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":35},"description":"Company Overview\nFortastra designs and delivers resilient, high-performance spacecraft that safeguard critical orbital assets and ensure freedom of action in space. We integrate advanced autonomy, sensing, and control into systems engineered for reliability, speed, and scale.\nOur culture values simplicity, accountability, and disciplined execution. We expect leaders to think systemically, act decisively, and take ownership of mission outcomes. Aggressive innovation. Disciplined execution. Strength among the stars.\nWe recently closed a $30M Series A to build the future of on-orbit security and we’re just getting started!\nOur Engineering Team\nYou’ll join Fortastra’s Engineering Division. The mechanical engineering team is responsible for the physical realization of our spacecraft: structures, mechanisms, packaging, and integration that enable reliable, repeatable builds and rapid iteration across vehicles.\nThe Role\nFortastra is seeking a Sr. Mechanical Engineer focused on battery and solar integration to own the mechanical design, packaging, and integration of power subsystems on our spacecraft. You will be responsible for how batteries, solar arrays, and associated hardware are mechanically realized on the vehicle, including mounting, thermal and structural considerations, deployment interfaces, and harness routing.\nThis role is ideal for a mechanically strong engineer who wants to specialize in power-related hardware while still working across the full vehicle. You will collaborate closely with power electronics, avionics, thermal, and structures teams to ensure that power subsystems are robust, maintainable, and flight-ready.\nKey Responsibilities\nDesign mechanical integration for spacecraft batteries, solar panels or arrays, and supporting structures and mechanisms.\nOwn CAD models for battery modules, solar panel assemblies, mounting brackets, deployment linkages, and related hardware.\nWork with power and avionics engineers to define mechanical interfaces, connector placements, and harness routing strategies that minimize risk and simplify integration.\nAccount for thermal, structural, and vibration requirements in the mechanical design of power subsystems, coordinating with thermal and structural analysts as needed.\nGenerate and release detailed drawings, BOMs, and documentation for battery and solar mechanical hardware with disciplined revision control.\nSupport trades on panel and battery placement, packaging efficiency, access for integration and test, and maintainability on the vehicle.\nCollaborate with manufacturing and integration teams to ensure designs are buildable, testable, and serviceable, and support floor activities such as installation procedures and fit checks.\nIdentify and resolve mechanical issues related to cable routing, clearances, and interactions between power subsystems and other spacecraft hardware.\nQualifications and Skills\nBachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.\n5+ years of experience in mechanical design for spacecraft, robotics, automotive, energy storage, or other high-reliability systems.\nProficiency with 3D CAD tools (NX, Creo, SolidWorks, or equivalent), including part and assembly modeling.\nExperience designing mounting hardware, enclosures, or structural components for electronic or power hardware such as batteries or power electronics.\nBasic understanding of structural and thermal considerations for battery and solar integration, and willingness to work with specialists in those disciplines.\nExperience creating engineering drawings, applying tolerances, and working within a revision-controlled environment.\nFamiliarity with mechanical design around cable routing, connectors, and minimizing mechanical-electrical interference is a plus.\nExperience in domains such as spacecraft, EVs, robotics, or renewable energy systems is beneficial.\nRequirements\n5 days on-site in Torrance, CA\nU.S. Citizenship required\n\nWhy Fortastra\nWe are a small, high-impact team building the next generation of autonomous orbital control systems for national security space. At Fortastra, leaders own outcomes from first principles through flight and directly shape the future of resilient, mission-critical spacecraft autonomy.\nFORTASTRA TALENT & CULTURE PRINCIPLES\nValues Driven by First Principles\nWe value engineers and operators who prioritize sound judgment, candor, technical rigor, bias for action, and intellectual honesty over corporate consensus. We care about the caliber of the system you build and the speed at which you solve problems.\nTalent Density Over Headcount\nA high-performing startup is built on dense talent, not organizational bloat. A single exceptional engineer designs, tests, and delivers faster than a bloated committee. We intentionally maintain a lean, elite engineering crew where every contributor directly moves the needle on the mission. \nHigh Autonomy, High Ownership\nWe hire domain experts to execute, not to micromanage them. You own your systems end-to-end, from initial architecture and hardware design to testing and deployment. With absolute ownership comes the responsibility to deliver mission critical reliability. \nMission Context Over Bureaucracy\nThe best execution happens when teams are provided clear technical objectives, constraints, and operational context, rather than rigid top-down policies. We strip away red tape so builders can iterate, make decisions, and push hardware and flight software forward rapidly. \nDisciplined Speed & Flight Rigor\nWe move fast because we test often and kill artificial bottlenecks, not because we cut corners. Rapid iteration on the test stand and in simulation is how we learn; an uncompromising flight-readiness bar is how we earn trust. Precision without friction, speed without recklessness.\nDirect Impact, Not Career Bureaucracy\nYou don’t come to Fortastra to climb a corporate ladder or manage slide decks; you come to build complex, flight-ready systems from day one. Growth here is organic, driven by the magnitude of technical challenges you solve and the trust you build across the team. \nBenefits\nWe take care of our employees so they can focus on what matters most: family, well-being, and life outside of work.\nUnlimited Paid Time Off so that you have the time you need to rest and recharge.\nComprehensive Healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, because peace of mind starts with feeling cared for.\nEquity: Share in Fortastra's success with equity in the company you're helping build.\n401(k): A 401(k) plan to help you invest in your future and plan for what's ahead.\nSocial Events: Regular social events, team outings, and company-sponsored activities that make this a place people are glad to be part of.\nThe pay range for this role is $130,000.00 - $190,000.00. Where an offer falls within that range depends on factors like your qualifications, experience, location, and interview performance, which we weigh against the market rate for the position.\nRecruiters & Agencies: Fortastra does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from recruiters, agencies, or third parties. Any candidate submitted without a signed agreement and prior written authorization from Fortastra will not be subject to any fee, and no relationship is implied. Please do not contact Fortastra employees, hiring managers, or recruiting team directly.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7418,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Satellite Manufacturing","Space Defense"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-10T19:41:07Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":53,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.708,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":34,"expected_fill_days":36,"reasons":["conf:0","win:late"],"computed_at":"2026-10-29T05:49:05Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":190000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/fortastra-sr-mechanical-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/fortastra-sr-mechanical-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-30T01:03:41Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":1409,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-31T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3910291},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3910291"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Ffortastra-sr-mechanical-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Ffortastra-sr-mechanical-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Ffortastra-sr-mechanical-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/fortastra-sr-mechanical-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Ffortastra-sr-mechanical-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":2230011}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"fortastra.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":2230011},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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