Solar Manufacturing Engineer

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – 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.

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.

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. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.

The Role

You’ll be at the heart of bringing flight hardware to life. Embedded in the day-to-day build of solar modules and photovoltaic arrays, you’ll work side-by-side with technicians and senior engineers to turn design into reality. From shaping build processes to solving hands-on manufacturing challenges in real time, your work will directly impact the performance and reliability of hardware destined for space.

This role is built for someone who learns quickly, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and wants to take ownership early. You’ll develop deep technical intuition, contribute to systems that scale, and grow into increasingly complex challenges as we push towards higher-rate production in an environment unlike anywhere else.

Responsibilities

Support assembly and build of solar modules, photovoltaic array subassemblies, and related hardware to documented process procedures

Identify and escalate build anomalies, non-conformances, and process deviations, supporting root cause investigations

Work closely with Quality and Production teams to maintain build cadence and ensure hardware meets acceptance criteria

Support tooling inspection, maintenance, and readiness activities for solar manufacturing operations

Create custom tools and processes to support the manufacturing technologies you create including Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software

Contribute to continuous improvement efforts by flagging friction points in existing processes and proposing solutions

Develop and maintain work instructions, process documentation, and build procedures

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, aero space, materials or other relevant engineering discipline

2+ years of experience in a high-volume manufacturing, production, or hands-on engineering environment

Strong hands-on aptitude and willingness to work directly with hardware on the production floor

Exposure to precision assembly or electromechanical integration processes

Ability to read engineering drawings, schematics, and technical documentation

Experience setting up a manufacturing/production floor for first article builds

Nice to Have

Hands-on experience with solar handling, lamination, or photovoltaic module assembly

Exposure to space, defense, or other high-reliability manufacturing environments

Experience designing hardware for manufacturability

Demonstrated experience developing production processes from the ground up including driving design improvements for manufacturing

Experience working closely with technicians and build tooling

Familiarity with CAD software (NX or equivalent) and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD T)

Experience working with MES to set up the foundation for procedure creation and documenting non-conformances

Compensation and Benefits:

Base salary range for this role is $100,000 – $140,000 + equity in the company

Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level

Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision/ coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refu…