Senior Tooling Engineer

The Role

You will own the success of custom tooling and structures that will be key to our satellite production and operations. In your first year at K2, you’ll work closely with the production teams to help shape build process decisions, architect tooling systems, and execute on individual tools that will support scaling our manufacturing and operations rate and support performing large-scale qualification testing for our multi-ton spacecraft. You will implement and deliver tooling solutions via a combination of hands-on build and collaboration with in-house and out-of-house fabrication resources. Throughout the process you will be hands-on support, educating end customer teams and validating tool performance alongside them. You’ll have an opportunity to help shape the company’s foundational tooling strategies and processes as we look forward to our mass-abundant goals.

Responsibilities

• Design and fabricate tooling and material handling systems for K2 Space satellite bus and associated systems and subsystems

• Lead development of satellite subsystem production fixtures from project kickoff through production and beyond

• Drive hands-on development tooling development, sizing and structural analysis of ground support equipment, and continuous improvement of tooling and production operations

• Support the development of ground test setups, flight hardware, development fixtures, and external customer tooling needs

• Collaborate with a cross-functional team to establish product requirements, tooling methods and project development schedules

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or other relevant engineering discipline

• Experience with CAD or FEA software packages (experience can be in a professional, academic, entrepreneurial, or hobby setting)

• 5+ years of industry experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis

• Hands-on fabrication experience

• Experience designing, building, and testing mechanical assemblies and tooling for aerospace or terrestrial applications (satellite mechanical systems, payloads, launch vehicles, propulsion systems, and/or aircraft structures and mechanisms)

Nice to Have

• Experience with shipping, materials handling, and clean room operations

• Experience with the practical application of GD&T

• Experience with NX (Unigraphics) and Teamcenter PLM

• Experience with performing structural analysis (Simcenter 3D, Femap, or Hypermesh)

• Demonstrated ability to own mechanical hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team

• Demonstrated understanding of structural analysis and failure modes of complex mechanical systems in space environments and operations

• Experience with actuators, controls, data acquisition, and dedicated test or automation equipment (examples include actuated positioning tools, motor dynos, vibration tables, environmental data loggers, motorsports DAQ)

• Independent and self-motivated mindset, with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base salary range for this role is $140,000 - $175,000 + equity in the company

• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level

• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If 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! If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.