Mechanical Engineer, Missile Defense (Senior - Staff)

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it. OUR MISSION True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors - enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.

OUR VALUES - Be the offset. We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity. - What would it take? We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results. - It’s the people.

Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together. ## BENEFITS & PERKS * - Best-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, with HSA/HRA options - Generous time off: Flexible Time Off (FTO) for exempt employees, accrued PTO of up to 25 days for non-exempt employees, plus 12 paid holidays; Parental Leave; Sick Leave - Fuel for your day: Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks for in-office employees - And more: 401(k) retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, and Dog Fridays - Equity participation: Equity is included as part of our total compensation package, giving you an opportunity to share in the company’s success. *Do not apply to fixed term and temporary roles YOUR MISSION The next generation of missile defense demands hardware that performs flawlessly at hypersonic speeds, survives extreme thermal and aerodynamic environments, and delivers precision intercept against the most advanced threats ever fielded.

True Anomaly is building that hardware - and we are looking for engineers who want to be part of it. As a Mechanical Engineer at True Anomaly, you will play a critical role in designing and developing flight hardware for some of the most technically demanding programs in the defense aerospace industry.

You will engineer mechanical systems that must perform flawlessly in extreme environments, building the hardware that matters most when it counts. ## RESPONSIBILITIES - Serve as technical authority and subject matter expert in mechanical design, providing engineering leadership across defense aerospace programs and driving the design, analysis, and optimization of structures and assemblies to meet performance, mass, survivability, and reliability requirements. - Own and drive the full mechanical architecture of flight vehicle structures and systems - from system-level requirements definition and concept development through qualification, flight certification, and lessons learned capture. - Define structural design philosophy, sizing criteria, and margins of safety for flight vehicle primary and secondary structures across high-dynamic-pressure, high-g maneuver, and thermally coupled hypersonic flight environments. - Lead the design and development of guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) hardware and seeker packaging architectures, establishing integration standards for precision optical and RF sensor assemblies within highly constrained flight vehicle envelopes. - Own the thermal protection system (TPS) design strategy for hypersonic and re-entry flight vehicles, including material selection, panel and tile integration architecture, aeroheating-driven structural trades, and qualification approach for ablative, ceramic, and composite TPS systems. - Lead mechanical integration of propulsion subsystems, including solid rocket motor structural interfaces, divert and attitude control system (DACS) packaging, nozzle and TVC structural design, and cross-discipline coordination with propulsion engineers to ensure system-level compliance. - Define and maintain vehicle-level mechanical interface control documents (ICDs), mass properties reports, and configuration baselines across program milestones. - Chair and lead formal vehicle design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR) and drive closure of technical risks, RFIs, and subsystem interface actions across the engineering team. - Establish and enforce GD&T standards, drawing conventions, and CAD model management practices across the mechanical engineering team. - Collaborate with systems engineering, aerodynamics, thermal, GN&C, and propulsion teams to derive and flow down mechanical requirements, perform requirements verification, and support IV&V activities. - Develop and approve structural and environmental qualification and acceptance test plans, witness testing, and resolve anomalies and non-conformances against program requirements. - Leverage spacecraft and space environment design expertise, including precision mechanisms, electronics packaging, and launch load structural design, to inform cross-domain solutions and bring technical advantage to missile defense and hypersonic programs - Provide technical mentorship and career development guidance to junior and mid-level mechanical engineers - Partner with program management and business development to support proposal efforts, schedule and resource planning ## QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline. - 7–15+ years of professional experience in mechanical design, with the majority spent within missile defense, hypersonic systems, defense aerospace, or a related industry . - Demonstrated expertise in flight vehicle structural design for high-dynamic-pressure, thermally coupled, and high-g flight environments, including experience across multiple defense aerospace programs - Extensive hands-on experience with guidance and seeker packaging architecture, including precision optical or RF sensor integration, alignment and retention design, vibration isolation - Deep experience with TPS design and high-temperature materials, including ablative, ceramic, and composite systems, and ownership of TPS qualification approaches for hypersonic or re-entry applications. - Proven experience leading mechanical integration of propulsion subsystems, including solid rocket motor interfaces, DACS packaging, and TVC structural design, with full cross-discipline coordination responsibility. - Expert-level proficiency in NX (Siemens) and/or SolidWorks, including complex multi-subsystem vehicle assemblies, configuration management, and CAD team leadership. - Mastery of GD&T principles, with experience defining and enforcing drawing and model standards across a program or organization. - Proven track record of leading flight vehicle hardware programs from concept through test or flight certification, including full ownership of technical risk and schedule. - Experience chairing or leading formal vehicle design reviews at the subsystem or full vehicle level. - Strong familiarity with relevant defense and aerospace standards (e.g., MIL-SPEC, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-1540, AIAA S-110) and their application to design, analysis, and test. - Experience with configuration management, MES, and PLM tools (e.g., TeamCenter, Windchill) at a program leadership level. - Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical topics to executive, program, and customer audiences. ## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE - Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline. - 10+ years of experience specifically in interceptor systems, kill vehicles, or hypersonic flight vehicle mechanical design, with multiple programs delivered to flight test or operational fielding. - Experience as a responsible mechanical engineer on a missile defense or hypersonic program, with ownership of vehicle-level mechanical architecture and cross-subsystem integration. - Deep experience with kill vehicle or hit-to-kill interceptor hardware, including ultra-mass-constrained structures, precision seeker alignment under vibration and thermal loading, and flight-critical deployment or divert mechanism design. - Experience with hypersonic flight vehicle aerosh