Mechanical Engineer (contract-basis)

About SPHERICAL

SPHERICAL is a leading space electronics company delivering state-of-the-art satellite power and control electronics. Delivering high-power systems to world-class customers with a focus on reliability and flexibility. The are uniquely full-stack with integrated teams across electronic systems, microchips and software.

About the Role

This project is primarily focused on the mechanical and thermal design of a space power/battery subsystem. You will work closely with electronics systems and project team to develop the mechanical concept designs and architecture designs for electronic and battery housings, analyze and ensure the production and testing of your designs. 

Battery experience is highly desirable for this project, but the role is intentionally defined broadly enough to include engineers with directly transferable expertise in spacecraft power electronics, avionics, payload electronics or other high-power electronic subsystems.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently create mechanical concept designs and architecture designs for electronic and battery housings, enclosures and assemblies, by translating customer and system requirements 
• Develop mechanical thermal and structural design and FEA analysis, including within a conduction dominated environment. 
• Design for manufacturing including material selection, manufacturability checks, and working with the suppliers.
• Plan, verify and test hardware against qualification and acceptance criteria in an ECSS adherent environment. 
• Produce high-quality technical documentation and analysis reports suitable for internal and customer design reviews.
• Communicate technical risks, trade-offs and recommendations clearly to multidisciplinary engineering teams and customers.

Required Skills

• Strong experience in the mechanical and thermal design of high-power electronic systems, spacecraft hardware or comparable high-reliability systems.

• Experience with thermal analysis in vacuum or radiation/conduction-dominated environments.
• Understanding of materials selection, mechanical interfaces, tolerancing and design for manufacture.
• Clear understanding of the engineering lifecycle: requirements → concept/trade studies → analysis → detailed design → manufacture → test/verification.
• Ability to produce clear, high-quality engineering documentation and communicate effectively across mechanical, electronics and systems disciplines.

Preferred Skills

• Direct experience with spacecraft mechanical and thermal engineering.
• Experience with spacecraft battery systems, battery packs/modules, battery thermal management or battery-containing power subsystems.

• Experience with spacecraft power electronics, PCDUs, avionics, payload electronics or other high-power electronic subsystems.

• Knowledge of spacecraft passive thermal-control techniques and space-compatible materials, surface treatments and thermal interfaces.
• Experience with thermal-vacuum (TVAC), thermal cycling, vibration and qualification testing.
• Familiarity with ECSS or comparable aerospace/space engineering and verification standards.
• Experience correlating thermal or structural models against physical test results.
• Experience working directly with manufacturing suppliers and supporting hardware through manufacture, assembly and test.

Engineering Tools

• Proficiency with industry-standard mechanical CAD and CAE/FEA tools.
• Experience with Siemens NX / Simcenter is advantageous.
• Equivalent tool experience is welcomed; selection will be based primarily on underlying mechanical and thermal engineering capability rather than familiarity with a specific software package.

Minimum Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.