Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering

Key Responsibilities: 

Technical Leadership & Innovation 

• Lead and scale the mechanical engineering organization across mechanical architecture, structural & thermal design and analysis, and mechanisms disciplines 

• Drive the mechanical development of spacecraft featuring large-scale deployable systems, complex mechanisms, advanced thermal management solutions, and high-performance lightweight architectures 

• Oversee the design and integration of systems operating under extreme thermal loading, dynamic environments, and tightly constrained mass and volume requirements 

• Champion ambitious engineering solutions that challenge conventional aerospace constraints and significantly advance spacecraft capability, scalability, and manufacturability 

• Define and execute the technical vision and long-term roadmaps for next-generation spacecraft structures, thermal systems, mechanisms, and mechanical architectures aligned with Kepler’s future mission and platform strategy 

• Drive the adoption of advanced engineering approaches, development methodologies, and enabling technologies that keep Kepler at the forefront of spacecraft design, performance, manufacturability, and production scalability  

• Foster a culture rooted in first-principles engineering, rapid iteration, technical excellence, and innovation focused on solving exceptionally difficult problems 

• Evaluate and communicate technical, schedule, manufacturability, and cost trade-offs to align engineering investment decisions with company strategy and long-term business objectives 

• Influence long-term technology investment strategy, external partnerships, and supplier ecosystem development to maximize spacecraft capability, scalability, and competitive advantage 

Advanced Manufacturing & Product Realization 

• Build and lead an engineering organization that remains at the forefront of advanced design and manufacturing technologies  

• Continuously drive the evaluation, adoption, and application of emerging methodologies, tools, and production techniques from aerospace and adjacent high-performance industries 

• Drive the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies including additive manufacturing, advanced composites, topology optimization, precision fabrication, and highly integrated assembly techniques 

• Promote engineering approaches that leverages rapid prototyping, iterative development, modern digital engineering practices, and rapid hardware iteration methodologies throughout the organization 

• Ensure spacecraft designs are optimized for manufacturability, reliability, assembly, integration, and test at scale 

• Lead the transition from prototype to scalable production for increasingly sophisticated spacecraft systems 

• Partner closely with manufacturing, systems engineering, and supply chain teams to accelerate development cycles into flight-ready hardware 

• Establish scalable engineering processes, verification methodologies, and development infrastructure that ensure program resilience, continuity, and repeatable delivery at an increasing production scale 

Organizational Leadership 

• Build, mentor, and scale high-performing engineering teams and leaders while recruiting, developing, and retaining exceptional talent across multiple mechanical engineering domains 

• Establish engineering standards, development processes, and organizational structures that enable breakthrough innovation and disciplined execution 

• Drive strong cross-functional collaboration with systems, RF, electrical, software, avionics, payload, production, and mission operations teams 

• Balance technical risk, execution speed, reliability, and business priorities while enabling ambitious engineering outcomes 

• Align engineering roadmaps, organizational capacity, and technical priorities across multiple spacecraft programs and platform initiatives 

• Drive resource allocation and organizational prioritization to maximize execution efficiency and long-term platform scalability  

• Communicate technical strategy, execution status, risks, and trade-offs across executive leadership, customers, external partners, and cross-functional stakeholders 

• Provide clarity, alignment, and decisive leadership in highly ambiguous and rapidly evolving technical environments 

• Drive the evolution of engineering tools, simulation environments, and digital infrastructure to support increasingly complex spacecraft development programs 

Required Skills & Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent  

• 10+ years of experience in mechanical engineering  

• Experience leading engineering teams across multiple mechanical domains (e.g., design, structural, thermal); experience managing managers is an asset 

• Strong understanding of mechanical design, structural analysis, and thermal engineering principles  

• Experience delivering hardware from concept through qualification and flight readiness  

• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills  

Bonus Points:  

• Experience developing spacecraft or aerospace systems with high mechanical complexity and demanding performance requirements  

• Strong background in advanced manufacturing technologies and scalable hardware production  

• Proven ability to lead and grow large engineering organizations delivering complex aerospace hardware  

• Demonstrated history of pushing technical boundaries and delivering innovative systems previously considered infeasible  

• Passion for building the next generation of space infrastructure and enabling transformative capabilities in orbit