Manager, Mechanical and Thermal Systems
ICEYE US· midsize· Defense & Space· Sep 22, 2026 · 1mo ago
Irvine
In office
Full-time
Manager
$155K–$195K
8+ years exp
Job description
Third-party recruiters: Please do not contact us about this role.
Manager, Mechanical and Thermal Systems
At ICEYE, we design, build and operate the largest fleet of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites in the world. Using advanced technology, our constellation collects topographical data about any location on Earth, day or night, through any weather conditions.
Headquartered in Southern California, our customers are society’s heroes – intelligence professionals, warfighters, first responders, and scientific researchers. As a trusted mission partner, the United States and its allies depend on us for critical information when it matters most.
Role Description
ICEYE US is developing next-generation spaceborne SAR payloads and full space vehicles and is seeking a Manager, Mechanical & Thermal Systems to lead the engineering team responsible for mechanical structures, mechanisms, deployable, and thermal control. Sitting within the Space Systems engineering team, this role owns the full mechanical and thermal subsystem lifecycle — from early architecture and trade studies through environmental verification and flight acceptance — while building and leading a team of mechanical and thermal engineers.
The manager will oversee payload-to-bus interface definition, structural integrity, thermal margin compliance, and environmental test campaigns for flight hardware. They will coordinate daily with RF, avionics, systems engineering, and AIT teams, and serve as the primary mechanical and thermal technical authority across all program lifecycle reviews.
Responsibilities
- Lead, mentor, and grow a team of mechanical and thermal engineers; own hiring, onboarding, performance development, and technical career growth for direct reports.
- Accountable for design and analysis of mechanical structures, mechanisms, and deployables for small- to mid-size space hardware, with a focus on adapting existing designs for space vehicle integration.
- Own the structures and mechanisms engineering lifecycle, including requirements decomposition, interface definition, and verification and validation closure for various programs.
- Ensure mechanical and structural designs meet all thermal, vibration, acoustic, and load requirements across the full environmental envelope.
- Collaborate with cross-functional subsystem teams — RF, thermal, avionics, and AIT — to satisfy mass, volume, structural margin, and manufacturability constraints.
- Lead environmental test planning and execution for the flight article, including thermal vacuum (TVAC), vibration, shock, and deployment testing; own test data review and disposition.
- Define and optimize manufacturing and assembly processes to support producibility, scaling across bus implementations, and schedule-driven build milestones.
- Own MGSE design and AIT build support, including payload-to-bus attachment interface definition and adapter design for both current and future mission applications.
- Set and enforce mechanical and thermal engineering standards, processes, and operating framework governing how structures, mechanisms, and thermal systems are designed, analyzed, tested, and verified across the program lifecycle — including modeling standards, drawing and CAD configuration control practices, analysis report formats, and environmental test readiness criteria.
Required Qualifications
- 8+ years of experience in mechanical design for space-rated hardware.
- Experience in designing space deployables.
- 2+ years of direct engineering management or technical lead experience, including tasking, mentorship, and performance ownership.
- Proficiency in CAD tools (SolidWorks, Creo, CATIA, or similar).
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
- Experience in thermal design and control.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with lightweight composite structures and advanced materials.
- Familiarity with DFM (Design for Manufacturing) and machining for aerospace.
- Knowledge of FEM/FEA analysis tools (ANSYS, NASTRAN, etc.).
- Experience in space missions for LEO.
Pay Range and Compensation Package
· The estimated base salary range for this role is $155k - $195k depending on experience
· Other benefits include health coverage, flexible PTO, a friendly work environment, plus extra fun perks!
Physical Requirements
This position primarily works in an office environment. It requires the ability to sit or stand for long periods of time and frequent walking. Daily use of a computer, phone, office equipment and other computing and digital devices is required. Some travel may be necessary – the ability to travel by car, plane, train, bus, vessel, or metro, operate a motor vehicle and maintain a valid Driver’s License and/or effectively navigate public transportation is required.
While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee must be able to read and respond to inter-office communications as well as effectively participate in meetings. The employee is often required to sit and use their hands or fingers, to lift up to 50 lbs., pull, push, carry, handle, or feel. The employee is required to carry, handle items, reach with arms and hands, to stoop, kneel, or crouch; talk, or hear. Mental demands may require prolonged concentration, reading comprehension, understanding and interpretation of concepts, ideas, and philosophies. The physical demands of the position described herein are essential functions of the job and employees must be able to successfully perform these tasks for extended periods. Reasonable accommodations may be made for those individuals with real or perceived disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job described unless such accommodations would cause ICEYE US an undue burden.
EEO Statement
ICEYE US is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.
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