Mechanical Engineer (Structures)

Mechanical Engineer (Structures)

Location: Playa Vista, California (in-person, five days per week) 

Outpost is pioneering Earth return logistics for space. We're building vehicles that can return payloads from orbit safely and precisely, enabling faster space-based manufacturing, global delivery, and entirely new capabilities in the space economy. Our spacecraft is already backed by the U.S. government with multiple missions ahead. We’re a mission-focused team, building with urgency, grit, and care for the work we do and the people we do it with. 

The Role 

The Mechanical Engineer will serve as the technical authority for the primary structures and deployment mechanisms of Outpost’s Carryall. This is a role for a structural engineer who has expertise on full-scale flight vehicles whether launch vehicles, satellites, or re-entry capsules. Unlike traditional space vehicle roles where the structure simply needs to survive launch, you are designing for the round trip: launch vibration, the harsh vacuum of orbit, and the extreme thermal and mechanical loads of hypersonic re-entry and landing. You will work on the structural of the vehicle, moving rapidly from trade studies to detailed analysis, and finally to hands-on integration. We need someone with the deep intuition that comes from 5+ years of seeing hardware fly (and fail). 

Responsibilities 

• Structural: Work on the mechanical design of the entire vehicle structure, including the deployable aerobrake ribs, pressure vessels, nose cone assembly, and payload interfaces.
• High-Fidelity Analysis: Perform and sign off on detailed hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis (ANSYS/FEMAP/NASTRAN). You will check on stiffness, buckling, and thermal expansion compatibility before metal is cut.
• Mechanism Design: Work on complex, high-reliability deployment mechanisms that must actuate after months in orbit, including hinges, latches, and release devices.
• Drawing & GD&T: Create and approve high-quality manufacturing drawings with appropriate geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (ASME Y14.5) to ensure parts fit the first time.
• Build & Test Leadership: "Get your hands dirty" leading the assembly of your designs. Own the structural test campaign (static load, random vibration, shock, and deployment testing) to qualify hardware for flight.
• Vendor & Partner Management: Work directly with machine shops, composite vendors, and external partners to resolve fabrication conflicts and ensure on-time delivery of precision parts. 

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Structural Engineering.
• 5 + years of experience in the design and analysis of complex aerospace structures and mechanisms.
• Full-Vehicle Heritage: Proven track record working on full space vehicles or rockets (not just subsystems). You should have experience taking a primary structure from concept through PDR/CDR to flight.
• CAD Proficiency: Expert-level skill in Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or similar parametric modeling software.
• Analysis Expertise: Deep background in structural analysis (FEA) and classical hand calculations. You must trust your hand calcs before you trust the solver.
• Materials Knowledge: Extensive understanding of aerospace materials (aluminum, titanium, Inconel, composites) and their behavior in extreme thermal environments.
• Manufacturing Fluency: You understand the limits of manufacturing, CNC machining, sheet metal, welding, and composite layup, and you design for them. 

Preferred Experience 

• Active U.S. Government Security Clearance (Secret or Top Secret).
• Master’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Experience with deployable space structures (booms, solar arrays, antennas, or aerobrakes).
• Experience designing for high-heat environments or integrating with Thermal Protection Systems (TPS).
• Proficiency in scripting (Python/MATLAB) for design automation or data post-processing.
• Deep knowledge of aerospace standards (NASA-STD-5000 series, SMC-S-016) for structural margins and testing. 

Compensation & Benefits

• $120,000 - $160,000; Salary may vary with experience
• Incentive Stock Options
• Annual Performance-Based Bonus
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• PTO
• 401k with Company match
• Subsidized daily catered lunch, snacks and coffee