Senior Mechanical Engineer, Space Hardware

About IRPI

IRPI designs and builds hardware that keeps people alive and working in space. Our customers include NASA and commercial space companies, and our work spans air revitalization and CO₂ removal, water and waste management, condensing heat exchangers, propellant management devices, lunar lander components, and spacesuit subsystems. We take hardware from requirements through design, build, test, and delivery, often for flight.

Our core expertise is low-gravity and capillary fluid mechanics, especially separating gas, liquids, and particulates where gravity can't do the work. IRPI has led more than a dozen flight experiments aboard the International Space Station, and our hardware flew on NASA's Artemis II mission. We apply the same know-how to medical, consumer, and industrial products on the ground.

We are a small team in Wilsonville, Oregon, with an in-house lab for prototyping and test. Engineers here design, build, test, and work with customers directly, and decisions happen quickly.

The Role

We are looking for a senior mechanical engineer to lead customer projects from scope to delivery, owning the mechanical design of subsystems from requirements through build and test. You will report to the President or the Chief Scientist, depending on the project, and work alongside a senior engineer with deep low-gravity fluids expertise. The two of you split direction of our early-career engineers by project.

This is a hands-on role. You will design in CAD, work in the lab, and plan and coordinate engineering work against scope, schedule, and budget. You will review designs and drawings, explain your reasoning, and help newer engineers build the judgment to take on more.

We want someone others turn to when a problem is hard, a design needs defending, or a test result doesn't make sense, and who is comfortable sharing technical leadership with a strong peer. Space experience is a plus; we welcome engineers with relevant experience from other industries.

This position requires access to export-controlled technology. U.S. citizenship or nationality is required.

What you will do

• Lead the mechanical design of subsystems from customer requirements through released drawings, build, test, and delivery.
• Direct and review the early-career engineers on your projects: break down the work, assign tasks, review designs and drawings, and approve releases.
• Serve as the technical point of contact for NASA and commercial customers, and run internal and customer design reviews, including PDR and CDR.
• Produce and review SolidWorks models, assemblies, and drawings with GD&T; own configuration control and BOMs for prototype and flight builds.
• Solve your own vendor and fabrication problems, working with machine shops and fabricators on DFM, quotes, and schedule.
• Plan and lead test campaigns: write procedures, run tests, and turn the data into clear engineering conclusions.
• Scope and estimate work for quotes and statements of work, then track your projects against them.
• Mentor engineers and share technical leadership with the other senior engineer.

Requirements

What you bring

• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of full-time industry experience designing, building, and testing mechanical or thermal-fluid hardware. Internships and graduate research do not count toward this.
• A record of delivering hardware against customer requirements, schedules, and budgets. Experience in engineering services, contract engineering, or customer-funded product development is strongly preferred.
• Experience mentoring or directing other engineers while doing hands-on design work.
• Expert SolidWorks (or equivalent) skills, including production drawings, GD&T, and tolerance analysis.
• Hands-on build and test experience: prototyping, machining or additive manufacturing, instrumentation, and data analysis (Excel, MATLAB, or Python).
• Clear, confident communication with customers and the team.
• Pragmatic, cost-aware design and comfort with a small team's pace.

Nice to have

• Proposal writing.
• Capillary, low-gravity, or broader fluids and thermal experience.
• Spaceflight hardware, qualification testing, and NASA lifecycle reviews; familiarity with NASA-STD-5001 or MIL-STD-1540.
• Design for DMLS, CNC, and injection molding.
• Technical product development experience

Location and eligibility

• Full-time, on-site in Wilsonville, Oregon. Relocation support is available.
• This position requires access to export-controlled technology (ITAR). You must be a U.S. person: a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or a protected individual such as a refugee or asylee.

Benefits

Compensation and benefits

• Salary: $135,000 to $165,000, based on experience
• Health: Medical and dental insurance for employees and families
• Retirement: SIMPLE IRA with a 3% employer match (traditional and Roth options)
• Time off: Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Family: Paid parental leave and schedule flexibility
• Bonus: Annual performance bonus tied to company and individual results
• Impact: Lead real flight hardware programs and shape how a growing engineering team works

How to apply

Answer the application questions fully. Instead of a thesis, include examples of design work you led: released drawings (non-proprietary or redacted), a design review package, or photos of hardware you delivered. A short cover letter is welcome if it explains your role on specific programs. Applicants to this role and the Mechanical Engineer, Space Hardware (Mid-Level) role are considered for both.

Equal opportunity employer

IRPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected category.