Principal Mechanisms Engineer, Optical

<div class="content-intro"><p class="p1">K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciapark/2025/12/11/this-startup-is-building-huge-satellites-for-an-underused-interstellar-sweet-spot/?ctpv=searchpage">$450M</a> from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others <span class="s1">– </span>with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p class="p1">The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p class="p1">With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. <span class="TextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0" lang="EN-US" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0">If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0">you're</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0"> excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0"> space startup, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0">we’d</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0"> love for you to apply.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW79998266 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p></div><p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">The Role</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">K2’s plan doesn't stop at satellite buses. Operating our own vehicles and manifesting regular rides to space uniquely positions K2 to design, test, and deploy-at-scale ambitious remote sensing payloads in MEO, GEO, cis-lunar, and deep space on unprecedented timelines. The satellite bus is the platform – the payloads are the mission.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">There are any number of space-based optical payloads that can generate value here on Earth (ex. forest fire detection, climate and atmospheric monitoring, etc.) and further planetary science in our solar system (ex. hyper-spectral imaging, laser-altimetry) -- all of which benefit from </span><strong><span data-contrast="none">precisely steered and stabilized </span></strong><span data-contrast="none">large aperture optical systems for collecting and transmitting optical energy from the UV to the infrared.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">As Principal Mechanisms Engineer, you will be responsible for defining how K2 designs, manufactures, tests, integrates, and deploys coarse pointing assemblies for large aperture optical payloads. The development timelines and manufacturing scale that we are targeting will require meaningful innovation, but you will have the resources and full support of K2 to make this possible and help raise the bar for the next generation of space technology companies.</span> <br> <br><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Responsibilities</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">Responsible for delivering the...</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">(1) design and tolerancing;</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559731":720}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">(2) line-of-sight error budgeting and stabilization analysis;</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559731":720}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">(3) environmental test and qualification plan;</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559731":720}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">(4) supply chain and high-volume manufacturing plans; and </span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559731":720}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">(5) ground- and in-flight performance validation plans</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559731":720}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">... for coarse pointing assemblies supporting large aperture (0.1m - 1m diameter) </span><span data-contrast="none">optical </span> <span data-contrast="none">payloads</span></p> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":360,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Collaborate with the optical and satellite bus teams to determine the optimal set of </span><span data-contrast="auto">requirements for optical payload coarse pointing assemblies</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552