Loft Orbital Solutions
Senior Mechanical Engineer
TLDR
Work as a lead Mechanical Engineer on satellite missions, focusing on structural analysis and test, while collaborating across teams and ensuring mission success.
We’re looking for a technical recruiter who is excited to level up how we hire software talent at Loft. You’ll own the full-cycle recruiting process - from sourcing to offer - for roles within our Cockpit software and adjacent teams. You’ll work closely with hiring managers to shape hiring strategies, drive alignment, and deliver an exceptional candidate experience, all while helping us raise the bar across process, quality, and speed.
About the Role:
Mechanical Lead for select Loft Missions
Develop, maintain, and own mechanical analysis budgets
Create and maintain detailed engineering drawings and 3D models using CAD software.
Conduct inspections and reviews of engineering documents and hardware.
Perform structural and thermal analysis of small payload components and spacecraft
Oversight of spacecraft level structural and thermal analysis
Develop, in collaboration with team members/customers, interface specifications, control documents and other design documents
Generate test plans and procedures for structural and thermal verification activities
Review and approve test environmental test reports
Support the Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) of all stages of a space mission, including identification and procurement of appropriate MGSE.
Work with suppliers, customers, and sub-contractors as mechanical point of contact to ensure successful mission execution.
Define and document requirements, specifications, and interfaces.
Work with a multi-disciplinary team to ensure successful mission execution
Must Haves:
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
5+ years of experience in spacecraft subsystems, payloads, and vehicle mechanical design and structural analysis.
Detailed understanding of GD&T and tolerance analysis.
Proficiency with Solidworks or similar CAD software
Pragmatic vibration testing experience (pre-test inputs, test oversight, data reduction, report generation).
Spacecraft level FEA experience. Expert level knowledge of at least one solver and pre/post processor package and cursory knowledge of others (Femap, Patran, Nastran, ANSYS, etc).
Concise analysis and test report generation
Experience in small satellite assembly, integration, and test campaigns with an emphasis on vibration and thermal testing
Ability to adapt to changing requirements and work in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
Strong attention to detail and accuracy
Experience delivering a spacecraft to standards such as ECSS and NASA GEVS
Proficiency with Solidworks or similar CAD software
Prepared to be challenged and sometimes work out of your comfort zone
Able to be accountable, autonomous, and take full ownership of projects
Nice to Haves:
Some of our Awesome Benefits:
Equity, we want you to have an active role in our success
Up to 35 days of Paid Time Off (vacations & RTT ) and flexible working hours, we want you to be at your best
Health and life insurance, we care about your health
Lunch Vouchers, because let’s be honest, we love food! (we even have a slack channel about it #loft-gourmand)
Cross-office travel opportunities between San Francisco, Colorado, and Toulouse to learn from our differences
Company and team off-sites and many other events to work & celebrate together
Relocation assistance to Toulouse when applicable
- Ability to perform Craig Bampton (CB) model reduction for launch authorities.
- Experience with thermal/structural combined analysis modeling.
- Practical experience in assembly and integration of satellite hardware.
- Experience working in a customer facing role.
- Proven experience in optical payloads integration.
- Understanding of force-limited vibration and transfer functions
- End-to-end satellite mission experience
*Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions. We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes.
Who We Are
Loft: Space Made Simple.
Founded in 2017, Loft provides governments, companies, and research institutions with a fast, reliable, and simple way to deploy missions in orbit.
We integrate, launch, and operate spacecraft, offering end-to-end missions as a service across Earth observation, IoT connectivity, on-orbit AI, national security missions, and more. Leveraging our existing space infrastructure and an extensive inventory of satellite buses, Loft is reducing years-long integration and launch timelines to months. With more than 30 missions flown, Loft’s flight heritage and proven technologies enable customers to focus on their mission objectives.
With a growing fleet on track to reach 30 satellites by 2027, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France to meet accelerating demand for space infrastructure.
As an international company your resume will be reviewed by people across our offices so please attach a copy in English.
Benefits
Health Insurance
Health and life insurance, we care about your health
Relocation assistance
Relocation assistance to Toulouse when applicable
Paid Time Off
Up to 35 days of Paid Time Off (vacations & RTT ) and flexible working hours, we want you to be at your best
Loft Orbital Solutions simplifies space missions for governments, companies, and research institutions by providing end-to-end services for integrating, launching, and operating spacecraft. With a diverse focus ranging from Earth observation to national security, we drastically reduce launch timelines from years to months, making space more accessible than ever.
- Founded
- Founded 2016
- Employees
- 51-200 employees
- Industry
- Internet Software & Services
- Total raised
- $16M raised
Senior Mechanical Engineer