{"id":4198699,"url":"https://alion.io/job/parallax-space-senior-mechanical-spacecraft-engineer","title":"Senior Mechanical Spacecraft Engineer","company":{"id":4520011,"name":"Parallax Space","domain":"parallaxspace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/parallax-space","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Rippling","truth_index":null},"role":"Aerospace","role_family":"Aerospace","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Denver, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":12,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"GD&T","optional":false},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false},{"name":"Abaqus","optional":true},{"name":"ANSYS","optional":true},{"name":"Femap","optional":true},{"name":"Nastran","optional":true},{"name":"Patran","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-12T21:09:53Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-12","last_verified_at":"2026-11-13T10:21:25Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"Parallax Space is building critical mission infrastructure to enable rapid, reliable, and scalable access to space. We partner with commercial, civil, and government customers to deliver integrated payload solutions and hosted mission capabilities that close critical gaps in the modern space architecture.\nOur focus is on delivering high-TRL systems at scale through a tech-enabled manufacturing and engineering model that enables repeatable, mission-ready performance.\nReports To: Head of Engineering\nEmployment Type: Full-Time\nDepartment: Engineering\nTravel Requirement: As required for supplier activities, customer reviews, integration, test, and mission execution\nSecurity Clearance Requirement: Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance\nAbout Parallax Space\nParallax Space is building critical mission infrastructure to enable rapid, reliable, and scalable access to space. We partner with commercial, civil, and national security customers to deliver high-performance satellite components, integrated payload systems, and mission capabilities that close critical gaps in modern space architecture.\nOur model combines advanced engineering, mission execution, and scalable manufacturing to deliver high-TRL products and flight-ready systems at speed.\nWe are building the infrastructure backbone for the next generation of space systems.\nPosition Overview\nParallax Space builds spacecraft buses and is scaling to build large satellite constellations. We need a mechanical engineer who can take hardware from concept through CAD, analysis, drawings and test: primary and secondary structure, mechanical ground support equipment (MGSE), fixtures and tooling.\nReporting to the Head of Engineering, you will be the technical lead for mechanical design and structural analysis across our spacecraft programs, from FEA through vibration testing and model correlation. You will set the structural verification approach, mentor junior engineers, and build the mechanical practices the team will scale on as we move to production rate.\nKey Responsibilities\nTechnical leadership\nServe as the mechanical and structures technical lead across multiple concurrent spacecraft programs.\nDefine structural design criteria, design loads and the verification approach: analysis vs. test, factors of safety, test levels.\nMentor junior mechanical engineers; review and approve their drawings and analysis.\nRepresent mechanical engineering to customers, launch providers and test facilities.\nShape the mechanical team as it grows: hiring, standards, CAD/PDM and design review practices.\nMechanical design\nDesign spacecraft primary and secondary structures, brackets, enclosures and mechanisms in CAD.\nDesign MGSE: handling fixtures, lifting and rotation fixtures, shipping containers and integration stands.\nDesign test fixtures (vibration, shock, thermal) and manufacturing tooling for repeatable, rate production.\nProduce release-ready drawings with GD&T; build tolerance stacks and mass properties.\nApply design for manufacturing and assembly, working with machine shops and suppliers on cost and lead time.\nStructural analysis (FEA)\nBuild and run finite element models: static stress, modal, random vibration, sine and shock.\nDerive design loads from launch vehicle user guides; calculate margins of safety and write analysis reports.\nRun fastener, joint and bolted-interface analysis.\nTest and correlation\nPlan and support vibration and shock tests at component and spacecraft level.\nCorrelate FEA models to test data (modal survey, sine signature) and update models.\nProgram support\nPresent designs and analysis at PDR, CDR and test readiness reviews.\nWork with electrical, systems and manufacturing engineers to integrate mechanical hardware with spacecraft subsystems.\nWrite and maintain engineering documentation: requirements, test plans, test reports and analysis reports.\nSupport integration and test on the floor; disposition nonconformances.\nRequired Qualifications\nB.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering or equivalent \n12+ years of mechanical design and structural analysis experience on spacecraft or other space flight hardware.\nLed the mechanical or structural design of at least one spacecraft or major spacecraft subsystem through launch.\nDelivered flight hardware through qualification and acceptance testing, including vibration and shock.\nAdvanced SolidWorks proficiency and a record of released drawings with GD&T.\nFEA experience: static, modal, random vibration, sine and shock analysis with margin-of-safety reporting.\nStrong understanding of space vehicle subsystems (structures, power, avionics, ADCS, propulsion, communications) and how mechanical design supports them.\nExperience designing fixtures, MGSE or tooling that went into use.\nAbility to work in a fast-paced startup environment, on-site and hands-on in integration and test.\nPreferred Qualifications\nM.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with a structures focus.\nHardware flown on multiple missions, including smallsat or ESPA-class spacecraft.\nWorking knowledge of machining, sheet metal and composite manufacturing processes.\nLed vibration and shock test campaigns and correlated FEA models to modal survey or sine signature data.\nExperience with vehicle-level testing \nCoupled loads analysis and launch vehicle interface experience.\nDeep familiarity with NASA-STD-5001, GSFC-STD-7000 (GEVS) and SMC-S-016.\nDesigned for production rate: tooling, jigs, and assembly flow for repeat builds.\nMechanisms experience (deployables, hinges, hold-down and release).\nLed or managed a team of mechanical engineers.\nCore Competencies\nSpacecraft structural design\nStructural analysis and FEA\nLoads definition and verification planning\nEnvironmental testing and model correlation\nDesign for manufacturing and rate production\nSpace vehicle systems thinking\nTools\nCAD: SolidWorks (required)\nPDM/PLM: SolidWorks PDM or equivalent; able to help set up our system\nFEA: Femap/NX Nastran, MSC Nastran/Patran, Ansys or Abaqus\nHardware ownership\nTechnical judgment\nAnalytical rigor\nMentorship and technical leadership\nCross-functional collaboration\nWhy Join Parallax Space\nJoin a team building critical infrastructure for the future of space. At Parallax Space, you will have meaningful ownership of the electrical power systems that enable spacecraft, payloads, and mission hardware to perform reliably in demanding environments.\nThis role offers the opportunity to take designs from architecture through flight, work directly with a multidisciplinary team, and help establish reusable, manufacturable power solutions for the next generation of scalable space systems.\nCompliance\nParallax Space is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. Certain positions may require eligibility to access export-controlled information under ITAR/EAR regulations and/or the ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6947,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":12,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Space & Aerospace","Launch Services","Electrical & Electronic Engineering"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-12T21:20:48Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":27,"reasons":["conf:6","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-11-13T16:28:05Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/parallax-space-senior-mechanical-spacecraft-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/parallax-space-senior-mechanical-spacecraft-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-13T16:28:05Z","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":33009,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-14T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"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":4520011},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=4520011"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fparallax-space-senior-mechanical-spacecraft-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"free","price":{"credits":0,"usd":0},"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%2Fparallax-space-senior-mechanical-spacecraft-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"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%2Fparallax-space-senior-mechanical-spacecraft-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/parallax-space-senior-mechanical-spacecraft-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fparallax-space-senior-mechanical-spacecraft-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":4198699}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"parallaxspace.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":4198699},"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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