Spacecraft and Satellite Configuration Design Engineer

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Wage

$110,000 – $175,000/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

Apply for This Position

Posted on November 5, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Backed by NASA, DARPA, and Space Force, this rapidly growing startup aims for asteroid mining through innovative space platforms. The company seeks a Spacecraft and Satellite Configuration Design Engineer to manage the configuration of satellite platforms and payloads from development to mission operations.

Responsibilities

  • Define and maintain spacecraft and satellite configuration baselines and change control processes.
  • Develop, review and release detailed mechanical and electrical configuration design using CAD tools.
  • Perform or coordinate mass properties, center-of-gravity and balance analyses.
  • Coordinate structural and thermal analyses and interpret results for design changes.
  • Plan, write and execute environmental test plans and procedures.
  • Lead harness and wiring design and manage electrical interface control.
  • Develop and maintain power budgets and coordinate thruster interfaces.
  • Integrate RF/communications subsystems and support RF performance verification.
  • Design, review and verify deployable mechanisms and associated testing.
  • Own AIT/Assembly integration sequencing and provide technical direction.
  • Manage requirements and traceability using tools like DOORS and Jama.
  • Perform risk analyses and contribute to mitigation plans.
  • Support MBSE activities and develop CAD-to-analysis workflows.
  • Provide mission operations support and assist with anomaly investigations.

Requirements

  • 3+ years of experience in spacecraft, satellites, or aerospace systems design.
  • Proficiency with 3D CAD tools such as SolidWorks, Creo, NX, or CATIA.
  • Strong understanding of multidisciplinary spacecraft integration principles.
  • Experience conducting engineering trade studies for system-level configuration.
  • Ability to perform preliminary engineering assessments.
  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or relevant discipline.
  • Familiarity with spacecraft thermal design concepts.
  • Understanding of communications hardware integration.
  • Knowledge of spacecraft electrical power hardware packaging.
  • Experience creating technical visualizations and engineering drawings.
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in dynamic environments.
  • Eligibility to work on projects subject to U.S. export control regulations.
  • Ability to work onsite as required.

Benefits

  • Competitive Base Salary
  • Equity
  • Competitive benefits

Benefits

Competitive Base Salary
Equity
Competitive benefits

How this job compares in Los Angeles, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $69/hr, this posting sits about 56% above the $44/hr median for welding jobs in Los Angeles, CA — toward the top of a $36–$66/hr middle band drawn from 51 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 78% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.

The local market in Los Angeles, CA

We're tracking 87 other active welding openings in Los Angeles, CA right now, from 49 different employers. 18 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 486 other active welding openings from 234 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Los Angeles, or widen the search to California.

CyberCoders currently has 1 other opening live in California, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in California at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are SpaceX (35), Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (17), and Relativity Space (14). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within California, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Long Beach at $49/hr, El Segundo at $48/hr, and Los Angeles at $44/hr. Los Angeles is among them.

Similar openings near Los Angeles, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Spacecraft and Satellite Configuration Design Engineer figures were last recalculated when this page was built.