True Anomaly
Mechanical Engineer, Missile Defense (Senior - Staff)
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Denver, CO; Long Beach, CA
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Staff
- Employment
- Contract
- Experience
- 15+ years
- Category
- Industrial engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 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 application
- Proven experience leading mechanical integration of propulsion subsystems, including solid rocket motor interfaces, DACS packaging, and TVC structural design, with full cross-discipline coordination r
- 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.
Nice to have
- 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
- Experience with hypersonic flight vehicle aeroshell design, including TPS panel integration, structural joint design under aeroheating, and ablative material qualification.
- Background in spacecraft or satellite mechanical design, with the ability to apply space environment principles — precision mechanisms, electronics packaging, launch load structures — as cross-domain
- Familiarity with structural analysis and FEA methods (e.g., NASTRAN, Ansys) and demonstrated ability to guide and review analysis performed by the broader engineering team.
- Experience supporting business development, proposal writing, and new program captures in missile defense or hypersonic domains, including DARPA, MDA, or Air Force Research Laboratory programs.
- Background working in a startup or high-growth aerospace and defense company, with experience scaling engineering teams and processes under program constraints.
Full description
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.