Hydrosat logo

Mechanical Engineer

Hydrosat

Carlsbad, CAJobPosted 1w agoStill listed 6 days ago

Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.

You apply on the employer's site, with no Olive account needed.

Watch jobs like this.

Don't just apply. Show up ready.

Olive works from this exact posting.

At a glance

Compensation
No compensation found
Location
Carlsbad, CA
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Bachelor's degree

Job overview

Hydrosat is seeking a seasoned Mechanical Engineer for its hardware development team. The role focuses on designing, analyzing, building, and testing mechanical systems for space-based payloads and flight hardware, with emphasis on on-orbit thermal performance. The engineer will take hardware from concept through fabrication, assembly, and flight qualification, collaborating across engineering teams. The position is limited to U.S. citizens due to federal contract requirements.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Mechanical DesignThermal AnalysisOn-Orbit Thermal ModelingMechanical CADThermal DesktopHardware FabricationHardware AssemblyHardware IntegrationSpace Environmental TestingThermal-Vacuum TestingVibration TestingASME Y14.5GSCF-STD-7000NASA-STD-5001B

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering5+ Years Space Systems or Related Hardware ExperienceU.S. Citizenship

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave

Full job description

Hydrosat is a space and data analytics company building a new Earth observation constellation and software platform to unlock the power of thermal infrared imagery. Our mission is to deliver high-resolution thermal insights that help governments, defense agencies, agribusinesses, and other decision-makers better manage water, agriculture, climate resilience, and critical infrastructure.

With operations in the United States and Luxembourg, Hydrosat combines cutting-edge satellite technology, geospatial analytics, and applied science to turn raw Earth observation data into actionable intelligence. Our U.S. team plays a central role in government and defense market development, commercial growth, and delivering scalable solutions for federal, civil, and commercial customers. We are looking for bright, ambitious, and collaborative people who want to help transform how space-based data is used in the real world.

Hydrosat is seeking a seasoned Mechanical Engineer to join our hardware development team. This role focuses on the design, analysis, build, and test of mechanical systems for space-based payloads and other flight hardware, with a strong emphasis towards on-orbit thermal performance. The ideal candidate will have deep experience in mechanical design for space applications, practical capability with on-orbit thermal analysis, and a passion for taking hardware from concept through fabrication, assembly, and flight qualification.

Responsibilities:

  • Develop and refine mechanical requirements for space payloads and flight hardware

  • Lead mechanical design effort and use thermal analysis to guide material selection, interfaces, and thermal control design

  • Develop and maintain on-orbit thermal models, assess hot and cold mission cases, and define thermal control features and operating limits

  • Perform hands-on prototype fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing of flight hardware

  • Collaborate with systems, electrical, optical, and spacecraft engineering teams to ensure integrated design performance

  • Prepare mechanical drawings and manage configuration control of released designs

  • Conduct trade studies and present design review materials to internal and external stakeholders

  • Plan and conduct environmental testing, correlate thermal models with test data, and support transition to manufacturing

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering and 5+ years of experience in space systems or related hardware

  • Proficiency in mechanical CAD tools (e.g. SolidWorks, Creo, etc.) and space thermal analysis tools (e.g. Thermal Desktop or equivalent)

  • Demonstrated experience modeling on-orbit thermal environments, including solar, albedo, Earth infrared, eclipse, and internal heat loads

  • Hands-on experience with hardware fabrication, assembly, integration, and space environmental testing, including thermal-vacuum and vibration

  • Familiarity with industry standards such as ASME Y14.5, GSCF-STD-7000, NASA-STD-5001B, among others

Benefits

  • Employee stock options

  • Health insurance: Medical, Vision, Dental - Hydrosat covers 100% of employee premiums, 50% for dependents

  • Mental Health Support

  • Claims Concierge Service

  • 401(k) with 100% match up to 4%, vested from day one

  • Flexible, unlimited PTO

  • 16 paid company holidays

  • Maternity, Paternity & Parental Leave - up to 12 weeks fully paid

  • Mental health support, including free therapy sessions

  • Commuter and cell phone stipends

  • Company Discount Program

Federal Contract Eligibility Requirement Due to the nature of the work and applicable U.S. federal government contract requirements, this position is limited to individuals who are U.S. citizens. This requirement is mandated by the federal government and is not a discretionary employment policy. Proof of eligibility will be required as a condition of employment, consistent with applicable law.

How this job compares

Set against the 7,601 open Mechanical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.

Pay
  • This postingNot listed
  • California median$129–180K/yr1,037 salary ranges
  • California median$45–55/hr43 hourly ranges
Openings
Olive Jobs lists 1,318 open Mechanical Engineer jobs in California and 7,601 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 5 years of experience; Mechanical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (6,308 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 5,231 of the 7,601 open Mechanical Engineer jobs (69%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

Prepare for this role

You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.