Mechanical & Structural Engineer | Space Start-up | Equity
Help Build the Physical Infrastructure of Computing in Space
We're partnering with an ambitious early-stage aerospace company developing next-generation spacecraft designed to unlock entirely new capabilities in orbit. By combining advanced satellite technology with large-scale power generation and high-performance computing, they're tackling one of the biggest infrastructure challenges of the coming decade.
As one of the first hardware engineers on the team, you'll play a critical role in designing the spacecraft structures and deployable systems that make the mission possible. This is a rare opportunity to help shape both the product and the engineering culture from the ground up.
What You'll Be Doing
Lead the design and development of spacecraft primary structures and structural architecture from concept through flight
Design deployable mechanical systems including solar arrays, radiator panels, hinges, latches, and deployment mechanisms
Perform structural analysis including FEA, modal analysis, vibration, shock, and launch load assessments
Own spacecraft mass properties, centre of gravity, and mechanical packaging across the vehicle
Support hardware through fabrication, integration, environmental testing, and qualification
Work closely with suppliers, manufacturing partners, and test facilities
Help establish mechanical engineering processes, design standards, and manufacturing practices within a growing engineering team
What We're Looking For
5+ years of mechanical or structural engineering experience within spacecraft or aerospace hardware
Experience designing deployable structures or mechanisms such as solar arrays, radiators, antennas, booms, or similar systems
Strong structural analysis experience using tools such as Siemens NX, ANSYS, ABAQUS, or NASTRAN
Solid understanding of launch environments, vibration, shock, structural dynamics, and aerospace materials
Experience taking hardware from concept through design, manufacturing, integration, and testing
Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment with high ownership and rapid iteration
Hands-on engineering mindset with a passion for solving complex multidisciplinary problems
Nice to Have
Experience with large deployable spacecraft structures or roll-out solar array technology
Background in commercial space or leading aerospace organisations
Experience with composite structures and design for manufacture
Exposure to production-focused spacecraft development
Practical fabrication, machining, or prototyping experience
Why Apply?
Own major spacecraft hardware from day one with significant technical responsibility
Work on complex deployable systems that must survive launch and perform flawlessly in orbit
Join an exceptionally small, high-performing engineering team where your decisions have immediate impact
See your designs move rapidly from concept to flight hardware
Competitive salary, comprehensive healthcare, unlimited PTO, and the opportunity to help build a category-defining space company.
Locations: Los Angeles, CA | Washington, D.C. | Seattle, WA Salary Range: $165,000 – $250,000 USD
EVONA is partnering with a leading defense, national security, and space technology company to hire a Senior AI Engineer – Agentic Platform Lead.
This organization builds mission-critical systems that operate at the intersection of advanced AI, complex hardware, and real-world constraints. Their work directly supports national security, space infrastructure, and next-generation aerospace systems.
This is a senior, hands-on technical leadership role for an engineer who thrives in ambiguity, moves fast, and uses AI as leverage to eliminate friction in complex engineering workflows.
The Role
Our client is seeking a Senior AI Engineer – Agentic Platform Lead to serve as a senior technical leader within a specialized Agentic Computational Engineering (ACE) team.
You will architect and build a multi-agent AI platform that enables autonomous agents to design complex hardware systems end-to-end. You will own the technical roadmap for this platform, lead a small high-caliber team, and work closely with domain experts across propulsion, electronics, and manufacturing.
This role is ideal for a builder who is excited about turning cutting-edge AI research into real, deployable industrial capability.
What You’ll Build
A scalable agentic AI platform supporting autonomous hardware design
Distributed orchestration systems coordinating large numbers of AI agents
Secure execution environments where agents run code, simulations, and analyses
Memory, retrieval, and provenance systems (RAG, vector databases, decision logs)
High-performance, observable systems operating at scale
Key Responsibilities
Architect and own the full-stack agentic AI platform, including orchestration, runtimes, and services
Design distributed systems (orchestrator–worker, swarms, event-driven architectures) for agent coordination
Build secure execution layers integrating internal tools, simulations, and data sources
Implement memory, context, and decision-tracking systems for agent reasoning and traceability
Profile and optimize performance for latency, reliability, and observability
Lead and mentor a small team of engineers and technical contributors
Partner with engineering domain experts to translate real workflows into scalable agentic capabilities
Influence long-term technical strategy for agentic AI across the organization
Required Qualifications
Master’s + 5 years, or PhD + 3 years in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or equivalent experience
5+ years building production-grade backend or distributed systems in mission-critical environments
Strong experience with Python, Go, or Rust and modern microservice architectures
Hands-on experience with LLM-based systems and agent frameworks (e.g., LangGraph, AutoGen, or custom runtimes)
Demonstrated AI-first workflow, using LLMs and agents to materially accelerate development
Proven technical leadership in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
Preferred Qualifications
Background in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or Applied Mathematics
Experience integrating AI agents with engineering tools (CAD/CAE, simulation, manufacturing platforms)
Experience with observability stacks (logging, tracing, metrics)
Experience building safety-critical or mission-critical platforms
Open-source contributions or personal projects demonstrating deep system-building expertise
Compensation & Benefits
Competitive base salary: $165,000 – $250,000 USD
Annual bonus potential
Comprehensive health, retirement, and wellness benefits
Paid time off
Get in touch
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