Opto-Mechanical Engineer (Principal)

Mantis Space is a venture-backed aerospace company pioneering breakthrough technologies to build the first energy infrastructure in space. Headquartered in New Mexico—the cornerstone of U.S. defense R&D and a growing hub of the nation’s Space Valley—we are building from the ground up to accelerate the next generation of satellite and orbital energy infrastructure.

Our veteran-led team brings decades of leadership across space, defense, and advanced R&D, with experience at Google, Meta, AeroVironment/BlueHalo, Terran Orbital, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and Apple. With deep expertise in optics, photonics, and space systems, we are designing and delivering the infrastructure that will power the future of orbital energy and advanced aerospace operations.

Why Join Us:

• Build from the ground up: Directly shape our Albuquerque lab and R&D test environment.
  
• Make an impact: Your systems will enable critical research in optics, lasers, and energy systems for space.
  
• Grow with us: Work alongside leading engineers, operators, and investors in a mission-driven environment.
  
• Competitive pay, full benefits, and equity in a company shaping the future of energy and space.
  

About the Role: Mantis Space is seeking a Principal Opto-Mechanical Engineer to join our Mechanical Engineering team. Reporting to the Director of Mechanical Engineering, this is a highly technical, hands-on role focused on solving complex design, analysis, testing, reliability, and manufacturing challenges for advanced space systems.
As a technical subject matter expert, you will bring deep experience designing, analyzing, building, and testing spacecraft optical payloads and precision opto-mechanical systems. You will work closely with mechanical, optical, systems, controls, and manufacturing engineers to develop high-performance hardware capable of operating in demanding space environments.
This role is ideal for an experienced engineer who enjoys working at the intersection of precision mechanical design, structural analysis, optical performance, controls, and spacecraft hardware development and who wants to have a significant technical impact on the next generation of space systems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical subject matter expert in structural analysis and precision opto-mechanical systems.
  

• Perform cross-functional structural and dynamic analysis in collaboration with controls, optical, and systems engineering teams.
  

• Design and develop precision mechanical components and assemblies, including pointing, tracking, and stabilization mechanisms.
  

• Develop detailed CAD models and production-ready mechanical designs using SolidWorks or similar tools.
  

• Perform FEA and multiphysics analysis to validate designs against launch, vibration, thermal, and operational environments.
  

• Analyze and optimize line-of-sight (LOS) stability and structural performance across the spacecraft operating environment.
  

• Conduct rapid FEA and quantitative design trades to support architecture and mechanism decisions.
  

• Export structural transfer functions and other analysis results to support controls-system development.
  

• Identify opportunities to improve system performance, reduce mass and cost, increase reliability, and improve manufacturability.
  

• Support the selection and integration of actuators, sensors, bearings, structural materials, launch locks, and passive vibration isolation systems.
  

• Develop and maintain engineering documentation, including drawings, GD&T, BOMs, tolerance budgets, mass budgets, and first article inspection requirements.
  

• Collaborate with optical, systems, controls, electrical, manufacturing, and test engineers to ensure mechanical designs meet system-level requirements.
  

• Support hardware development through design reviews, prototyping, assembly, integration, environmental testing, and qualification.
  

• Contribute to mechanical engineering standards, design practices, analysis methodologies, and technical best practices.
  

• Mentor engineers and contribute to the technical development of the broader mechanical engineering team.
  

• Support hiring, onboarding, and development of mechanical engineering talent and help build a culture of technical excellence.
  

• Work closely with manufacturing partners and vendors to resolve technical issues and ensure successful production of flight hardware.
  

Requirements

•  12+ years of experience designing, building, and testing flight hardware in the space industry,
  with multiple programs through on-orbit operations.
  
•  Mastery of Finite Element Analysis methods. Experience with Multiphysics simulation. (FEMAP,
  ANSYS, NASTRAN)
  
•  Proficiency in SolidWorks design and large assembly management in SolidWorks PDM, or similar
  PLM
  
•  Optomechanical instrument or payload design experience
  
•  Skill with producing drawings, GD&T, BOMs, FAIs, tolerance budgets, and mass budgets
  
•  Excellent communication, presentation, and coordination skills
  
•  M.S. or higher in Structural Engineering or related field
  
• Desired FEA skills and specialty Qualifications 
  
•  Quantitative design of pointing mechanisms for precision pointing in space environment of
  vibration, temperature variation and radiation.
  
•  FEA analysis concurrent with design to verify LOS stability over environment. Quick FEA analysis
  to support quantitative design trades.
  
•  FEA export of transfer functions to support controls analysis.
  
•  Collaboration with other ME, optical, system and controls engineers to meet system
  requirements.
  
•  Experience with selection of actuators (motors, voice coil, piezo), structural materials, sensors to
  support system objectives.
  
•  Experience with bearing selection, launch lock and passive vibration suppression for space payloads. 
  

Benefits

Full range of competitive benefits including 100% employer paid health insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement plan, and unlimited PTO