About the role

Muon seeks a Mechanical Engineer to design and build hardware for our new Solar & Deployables group — the team responsible for the solar arrays and deployable systems that power our spacecraft. Working alongside the group's senior and staff engineers, you'll take real ownership of components and assemblies: designing them, releasing them, prototyping them, and proving them out in test.

This is a hands-on design role with a fast build-test-learn loop. You'll see your hardware go from CAD to flight, and you'll help carry designs from first prototypes through constellation-quantity production.

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Design components and assemblies for solar arrays and deployable systems — structures, mechanism components, and supporting hardware — from concept through detailed design and release
• Produce and release engineering documentation: drawings, GD&T, BOMs, and tolerance stacks under configuration control
• Build and test prototypes to evaluate design concepts and retire risk early
• Support qualification and acceptance test campaigns, including deployment testing with gravity offload and environmental test (vibration, TVAC)
• Perform first-order engineering analysis — margins, stiffness, and sizing hand calcs — to guide your designs, working with the group's analysts on detailed FEA
• Design test fixtures, GSE, and tooling that make hardware fast and repeatable to build and test
• Work with vendors on part fabrication, and support build procedures and work instructions for production
• Present your work in design reviews and incorporate feedback from senior engineers across disciplines

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience designing, building, and testing mechanical hardware
• Strong CAD skills (SolidWorks preferred) for component and assembly design
• Solid command of drawings, GD&T, BOMs, and tolerance stacks
• Hands-on prototyping and test experience with a bias for learning through hardware
• Familiarity with common fabrication methods (machining, sheet metal, composites, or additive)
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with a strong desire to learn in a fast-paced environment
• B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field

Nice-to-have Skills

• Experience with spacecraft hardware, deployables, or precision mechanisms
• Structural analysis experience: hand calculations or FEA (FEMAP/NASTRAN, ANSYS, or similar)
• Experience with environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, shock)
• Composite panel or bonded-joint design experience
• Experience with PLM systems and ECO/DCO processes
• Software skills in Python, MATLAB, or similar

Salary

The salary range for this role is $144,000 - $177,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.