{"id":3558495,"url":"https://alion.io/job/k2-space-manager-solar-engineering","title":"Manager, Solar Engineering","company":{"id":171840,"name":"K2 Space","domain":"k2space.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/k2-space","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":85,"open_postings":207,"ghost_share":0.164,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":86,"computed_at":"2026-11-04T06:34:25Z"}},"role":"Energy","role_family":"Energy","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":["Los Angeles, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":150000,"max":250000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":250000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-31T00:27:14Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-31","last_verified_at":"2026-11-04T16:22:00Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":4,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":4},"description":"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.\nThe 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.\nWith 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.\nThe Role \nSolar power isn’t a subsystem at K2, it’s the capability that makes everything else possible. Our arrays are what allow us to operate at power levels no satellite has ever sustained, across the most demanding orbits in the solar system. Getting that right, at scale, is one of the most consequential engineering challenges in the company. \nAs the Manager, Solar Engineering, you’ll own it entirely. From early-stage technology development and module innovation through design maturation, manufacturing, test, and on-orbit performance - the solar array program is yours to build and lead. You will grow a cross-functional organization spanning design, analysis, manufacturing, and integration, and set the technical direction and operational cadence needed to meet our most ambitious cost, schedule, and reliability targets. \nThe missions we’re building toward are unlike anything the industry has flown: extreme radiation environments, multi-year lifetimes, and production volumes that demand manufacturing infrastructure built for rate and not one-off heroics. This is a rare opportunity to define what world-class solar engineering looks like inside a vertically integrated space company, and to build the team and systems that make it real. \nResponsibilities \nBuild, scale, and lead the Solar Engineering organization across design, manufacturing, process, and automation disciplines \nOwn the solar hardware technical baseline end-to-end: from array and module design through process qualification, tooling and automation infrastructure, and flight-ready production delivery \nTake hardware and mechanisms from conceptual design through qualification to on-orbit operations, including hands-on testing, analysis, and iterative design refinement \nIdentify and invest in transformative technologies that unlock step-change improvements in rate, reliability, and unit economics \nSet the strategic direction for how solar hardware is designed and manufactured at scale, establishing the systems, processes, and standards that enable high-rate production \nCollaborate with a cross-functional team to establish product requirements, company processes, and best practices for hardware design and manufacturing \nRepresent Solar Engineering at the executive level driving alignment on technical direction, risk, and program execution \nQualifications \nBachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or other relevant engineering discipline \n5+ years of experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis in solar or electro-mechanical systems \n1+ years of experience building and leading large, multi-disciplinary engineering teams including managing managers and developing senior ICs across multiple functional areas \nDemonstrated ability to own a complex engineering function end-to-end through major program phases, from development and design iteration through production ramp and sustained delivery \nExecutive-level communication and stakeholder management skills \nExperience with CAD or FEA software packages \nNice to Have \nDirect experience leading solar array engineering for space applications, spanningdesign, module interconnectprocesses, module lamination, integrated PVA construction, and flight array integration \nDemonstrated background scaling a multi-disciplinary engineering organization from early-stage development to full-rate production in a high-reliability or aerospace environment \nHands-on background in robotics, vision-guided assembly, or electromechanical controls for manufacturing applications \nExperience designing, building, and testing moving mechanical assemblies for aerospace applications (satellite mechanical systems, payloads, launch vehicles, propulsion systems, and/or aircraft structures and mechanisms) \nExperience with NASA-STD-5017, SMC-S-016, and GSFC-STD-7000 for the design and qualification of in-space Moving Mechanism Assemblies \nExperience with the practical application of GD&T \nIndependent and self-motivated mindset, with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills across disciplines \nCompensation and Benefits: \nBase salary range for this role is $150,000 - $250,000 + equity in the company \nSalary and level will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level \nComprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks \nIf you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!\nIf you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.\nExport Compliance\nAs defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”\nThe person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.\nEqual Opportunity\nK2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7284,"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","Life insurance","Parental leave"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Satellite Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-31T02:23:01Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":4,"expected_fill_days":86,"reasons":["conf:4","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-04T06:34:25Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":250000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/k2-space-manager-solar-engineering","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/k2-space-manager-solar-engineering.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-04T20:18:44Z","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":31329,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-05T00:00:00Z"}},"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":171840},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=171840"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fk2-space-manager-solar-engineering"},{"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%2Fk2-space-manager-solar-engineering"},{"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%2Fk2-space-manager-solar-engineering"},{"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/k2-space-manager-solar-engineering\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fk2-space-manager-solar-engineering"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3558495}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"k2space.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3558495},"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. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}