Structures Design Engineer
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This posting does not state its pay. Open mechanical engineer jobs in California post a median of $158k a year, the middle half $128k–$179k, across 261 jobs that state their pay.
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About the job
About Orbital Operations
At Orbital Operations, we’re building the future of dynamic space maneuvering. Our mission is to enable rapid-response orbital capabilities, executing maneuvers without hesitation and without regret.
Our flagship technology, the Cryogenic Propulsion Management System (CPMS), is redefining what’s possible in space mobility. Designed for military and commercial spacecraft, CPMS delivers sustained, high-thrust maneuverability in geosynchronous and cislunar orbits. It integrates low-loss cryogenic storage, reverse Brayton cycle (RBC) thermal control, and turbomachinery-driven propulsion to make spacecraft more agile, resilient, and responsive.
Beyond defense, CPMS is poised to transform commercial orbital logistics. By powering next-generation orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), it can slash LEO-to-GEO transit times from six months to just eight hours - unlocking new possibilities for satellite servicing, deployment, and beyond.
Join us in building the infrastructure for a more maneuverable and mission-ready space domain.
Description
As a Structures Design Engineer on this space vehicle program, you’ll play a key technical role and contribute to shaping engineering standards for pressurized structures, thrust frames, and integrated fluid systems. You’ll serve as the Responsible Engineer for major vehicle subsystems - owning the hardware from initial requirements through design, development, analysis, fabrication, testing, vehicle integration, and ultimately flight. We’re a small, driven team, so you’ll need to collaborate closely across disciplines with both engineers and technicians to move quickly. You’ll also be hands-on with your designs, with opportunities to build and test your own hardware - so expect to roll up your sleeves and work shoulder-to-shoulder with the shop and integration teams.
Qualifications
- 3+ years minimum experience in working in aerospace structures or fluids
- Designed, built and tested hardware
- Demonstrated proficiency with CAD software and analysis software (ANSYS preferred), should be able to talk to multiple examples of both
- Ability to determine appropriate level of work for a problem (from hand calcs to multi-physics finite element solutions) and execute the work accordingly
- Familiarity with launch vehicle design desired (cryogenic propellant familiarity preferred)
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering
Responsibilities
- Define the structural and major fluids design of the rocket in coordination with owners of other portions of the vehicle
- Procure and manage all hardware for components and structures that you own
- Work to get your hardware built, tested and integrated onto the vehicle
- Help build design tools and guidelines that will accelerate development of components
From Orbital Operations's job posting, checked 10 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
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About Orbital Operations
A Long Beach start-up building a reusable, cryogenic vehicle that moves quickly between orbits.
Pay on its listings: stated per posting
How it pays: Paid as an employee on Orbital Operations's own payroll, as each posting states.
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