Principal Mechanical Engineer, Cargo Systems

About Gravitics
At Gravitics, we're not just exploring space—we're building it. We're creating the infrastructure for a thriving space economy, enabling humanity to flourish beyond Earth. Our vision is bold, but we're not just dreamers; we're doers. We design and manufacture the large-scale structures and systems that will power human and robotic activity in Earth orbit and beyond. If you're ready to lay the foundations for a new era in space, embrace a culture of relentless learning and innovation, and contribute to a future where humanity's reach extends farther, Gravitics is the place for you. Let's build the future, together.
About the Role
To build our space systems, we need an exceptional mechanical engineer to own the top-level mechanical design, CAD configuration, and physical integration of a clean-sheet cargo vehicle.
You will be responsible for developing and maintaining the integrated vehicle CAD model, establishing the mechanical configuration, and ensuring that structures, cargo, avionics, thermal systems, mechanisms, propulsion, and other subsystems come together into a coherent and manufacturable vehicle.
This is a highly cross-functional role at the center of the vehicle design. You will work with subsystem responsible engineers to establish interfaces, drive packaging trades, identify and resolve integration conflicts, and mature the vehicle from early concepts through detailed design, build, integration, test, and flight operations.
Responsibilities:
Own and maintain the top-level integrated CAD model and mechanical configuration of a clean-sheet cargo vehicle.
Develop vehicle-level layouts and packaging concepts that satisfy mission, structural, cargo, subsystem, manufacturing, integration, and operational requirements.
Establish and maintain the vehicle CAD architecture, including assembly structure, coordinate systems, interface geometry, envelopes, keep-out zones, and other configuration-critical features.
Lead vehicle-level mechanical integration across primary and secondary structures, cargo, avionics, thermal systems, propulsion, mechanisms, harnessing, fluid systems, and other vehicle subsystems.
Work with subsystem responsible engineers to define and manage mechanical interfaces and ensure their designs integrate into the overall vehicle configuration.
Lead packaging and configuration trades involving vehicle geometry, cargo volume, mass properties, accessibility, serviceability, assembly sequence, subsystem routing, and structural load paths.
Identify integration conflicts early and drive cross-functional teams to resolution.
Own vehicle-level clearance and interference management and ensure the integrated configuration remains internally consistent as designs mature.
Drive configuration maturity from conceptual layouts through preliminary and critical design, released hardware, vehicle assembly, and integration.
Support vehicle mass properties development by maintaining accurate configuration, component location, and orientation within the integrated model.
Ensure the vehicle configuration accounts for manufacturing, assembly, integration, test, transportation, ground handling, and operational constraints.
Develop and maintain interface definition products and other documentation necessary to communicate and control the vehicle's mechanical configuration.
Support design reviews by clearly communicating vehicle configuration, major trades, integration risks, open interfaces, and design maturity to engineering teams and leadership.
Create detailed mechanical designs and drawings where needed, applying sound engineering fundamentals, GD&T, and tolerance analysis.
Work directly with manufacturing, integration, and test teams to resolve vehicle-level issues as hardware moves from CAD into reality.
Serve as the technical authority for the integrated mechanical configuration of the vehicle, from initial concept through mission operations.
About You
You are a systems-minded mechanical engineer who understands that a vehicle is more than a collection of independently optimized subsystems. You naturally think about interfaces, packaging, assembly, accessibility, load paths, configuration, and how changes in one part of the vehicle propagate through the rest of the design.
You are equally comfortable working in a top-level CAD assembly, leading a cross-functional packaging trade, reviewing a detailed mechanical interface, or walking the floor with manufacturing and integration teams to resolve a hardware issue.
You thrive in clean-sheet design environments where interfaces are still being defined and the answer is not already captured in an ICD. You can create order from ambiguity, make sound technical decisions with incomplete information, and drive a diverse engineering team toward an integrated vehicle solution.
You are a giver, not a taker. You help the broader team succeed, take ownership of problems that cross organizational boundaries, and build trust by consistently driving issues to closure.
Required Attributes
14+ years of industry experience in mechanical, aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.
Demonstrated ownership of complex mechanical systems or vehicle-level integration efforts.
Expert-level proficiency with 3D CAD and large assembly management using NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo, or similar tools.
Experience developing and maintaining top-level vehicle, aircraft, spacecraft, or other complex mechanical assemblies.