Principal Space Solar Mechanical Engineer

Job Description

Own the mechanical architecture for space photovoltaic panels, including substrate selection, cell bonding systems, structural analysis, and reliability qualification. Build and test hardware, lead environmental and radiation-related materials characterization, and use test results and failure analysis to refine designs and qualification criteria.

Requirements: Requires a master's or doctoral degree in mechanical engineering, materials science, aerospace engineering, or a related field, plus at least 10 years of hands-on hardware R&D experience. Candidates must demonstrate technical leadership, expertise in adhesive bonding and materials characterization, aerospace structural analysis and FEA, hardware fabrication, environmental testing, and thermomechanical fatigue.

Key Skills: Mechanical Architecture, Adhesive Bonding, Materials Characterization, Structural Analysis, Finite Element Analysis, Thermomechanical Fatigue, Delamination Analysis, Hardware Fabrication, Environmental Testing, Failure Analysis, Radiation Effects Testing, Space Photovoltaic Systems, Composite Substrate Design, Thermal Vacuum Testing, CAD, Test-to-Analysis Correlation