Senior Mechanical Engineer

Role overview and responsibilities:

Dhruva Space is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer for design, development, and optimization of spacecraft structures and mechanisms. This role involves creating innovative solutions for structural components, thermal systems, and deployable mechanisms while ensuring compliance with mission requirements and industry standards.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Responsible for the conceptualization, design, and development of spacecraft structures and space mechanisms, ensuring compliance with mission requirements and industry standards. Utilize advanced engineering principles to create innovative solutions for structural components, thermal systems, and deployable mechanisms.
• Participate in the integration of mechanical systems with other spacecraft subsystems, such as electrical, propulsion, and thermal control. Develop and execute test plans for mechanical components and assemblies, including environmental testing (thermal, vibration, shock) and functional testing to validate design performance.
• Utilize Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM), Design for Manufacturing (DFM), and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) principles to assess limitations, assumptions, and solutions during the design and development of CAD models. Strive for optimized designs that meet functional and manufacturing requirements.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and assembly teams to ensure designs are producible and meet quality standards. Provide guidance on fabrication techniques, such as additive manufacturing, machining, and welding, to achieve desired design outcomes.
• Collaborate with electrical engineers to assist in the routing of wires, cables, and harnesses for satellite components within CAD environments. Ensure proper integration of electrical systems into spacecraft structures while adhering to design requirements and industry standards.
• Act as a liaison between engineering teams and Assembly, Integration, and Test (AIT), production, and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) teams. Resolve manufacturing issues, provide support in developing assembly plans, and address quality concerns to ensure successful production outcomes.
• Engage with multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery of engineering deliverables within time constraints. Coordinate with cross-functional teams, including systems engineering, avionics, and mission operations, to ensure cohesive and integrated spacecraft development.
• Conduct risk assessments for mechanical designs, identifying potential failure modes and implementing mitigation strategies. Develop and maintain risk management plans to address technical challenges and ensure mission success.

Candidate Requirements

• Strong understanding of mechanics, including statics, kinematics, dynamics, and heat transfer. Knowledge of fatigue analysis, creep analysis, and fracture mechanics is desirable.
• Proficient in designing mechanisms and linkages to achieve desired motion and force transmission, with an understanding of dynamic behavior such as vibration analysis and control.
• Ability to design components based on Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles and apply Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) to define allowable variations.
• Minimum of 3 years of hands-on experience with CAD software such as CATIA, SolidWorks, or Siemens NX, including the creation of complex assemblies and detailed drawings.
• Preferred experience in aerospace, space, or defense sectors, with the ability to create and manipulate complex geometries to meet spacecraft design requirements.
• Strong knowledge of structural analysis, including stress, vibration, and thermal analysis, with the ability to interpret results and optimize designs for integrity, stiffness, and mass efficiency.
• Experience in electrical routing within CAD, including wire, cable, and harness integration, with familiarity in rendering tools to visualize electrical layouts.
• Skilled in preparing detailed technical drawings, assembly instructions, presentations, and engineering documentation that meet industry and regulatory standards.
• Familiarity with materials commonly used in spacecraft construction and a strong passion for space product development.
• Proven ability to analyze complex design challenges, conduct trade-off studies, and develop innovative solutions while assessing risks effectively.
• Adaptable to evolving project requirements, open to learning new skills, and capable of adopting new methodologies to improve performance.
• Collaborative mindset to work with Assembly, Integration, and Production teams to optimize designs for fabrication and integration.