# Machine Design Engineer at Space Kinetic

> United States · Unspecified · Software engineering · open. Source: https://alderhq.app/jobs/greenhouse%3Aspacekinetic%3A5023087008 (read 2026-11-15).

## Facts (observed)

- Company: [Space Kinetic](https://alderhq.app/companies/space-kinetic)
- Location text: El Segundo, California; El Segundo, CA
- Where it can be done from (inferred): United States (evidence: "Location: El Segundo, California; El Segundo, CA")
- Posted: 2026-05-16 (183 days ago)
- First seen by alder: 2026-11-02 · last verified: 2026-11-15
- Reposted: 0 times · edited: 0 times
- Apply on the employer's site: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacekinetic/jobs/5023087008

## Pay and sponsorship

- Posted pay: $100k–$140k per year (from the listing's pay field)
- Market band for similar posted roles (Los Angeles, n 618): p25 $120k, median $142k, p75 $165k

## Description (the employer's text)

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do:

The Machine Design Engineer will design, build, and refine prototypes for Space Kinetic’s core technology as we work toward a flight demonstration within the next two years. You will collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, machinists, test teams, and external vendors to move hardware from early prototypes toward a flight-ready design. This role requires strong mechanical design fundamentals, hands-on problem-solving, and the ability to use test results to drive continuous design improvements.

### Job Responsibilities

- Refine prototype CAD models, precision mechanisms, tolerance analyses, and detailed 2D manufacturing drawings.
- Design and integrate rotary mechanisms, bearings, motors, gearboxes, springs, fasteners, and related mechanical components.
- Collaborate with machinists, manufacturing teams, and vendors to source components and ensure designs are producible.
- Redesign prototype hardware to achieve a targeted 30% weight reduction while improving stiffness, structural performance, and vibration response.
- Apply GD&T and Design for Manufacturing principles, including tolerancing for plating and other production processes.
- Adapt hardware and design test structures for air-bearing, zero-gravity flight, and thermal-vacuum testing across multiple orientations and environments.
- Analyze test data, root-cause mechanical failures, and implement design improvements that move each prototype iteration closer to flight readiness.
What It Takes:

- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
- 3–5 years of relevant mechanical design, mechanism design, or aerospace engineering experience.
- Demonstrated experience designing precision mechanisms or complex mechanical assemblies—not solely CAD modeling or drafting.
- Advanced proficiency with SolidWorks, GD&T, tolerance stack-ups, and detailed manufacturing drawings.
- Experience designing rotary components and selecting bearings, motors, gearboxes, springs, fasteners, or related components.
- Experience with vibration, structural design, test-fixture development, and Design for Manufacturing.
- Hands-on experience conducting tests in a laboratory or R&D environment, analyzing results, and implementing design changes.
- Ability to work with limited direction and obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
What We’d Love:

- Experience selecting and designing with space-grade components.
- Experience designing mechanisms for testing or operation in space environments.
- Experience developing spacecraft or launch-vehicle systems.
- Experience taking mechanism designs from CAD through fabrication, assembly, and testing.
Where You’ll Be:

The position will be on site at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA.

What We Offer:

- Equity-Based Compensation

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Data: alder (https://alderhq.app). Cite https://alderhq.app/jobs/greenhouse%3Aspacekinetic%3A5023087008 and the date you read it. Observed facts come from the employer's own listing; location reach, level, family and skills are inferences.