Principal Solar Design 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 

Critical to achieving K2's vision of deploying at scale across MEO, GEO, cis-lunar, and deep space are the solar arrays. Scaling to constellations requires someone who can span technical domains from module technology and electrical power system interactions to soft goods, deployment mechanisms, structures, integration, and high-rate production. 

You will define how K2 develops, designs, manufactures, tests, and deploys high-power solar arrays at production scale. The development timelines, operating environments, mission lifetimes, and cost targets we are pursuing demand meaningful innovation. 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. 

Responsibilities 

• Delivery of the solar array electrical and mechanical architecture, system design, and lifecycle performance margins. 

• Development of the electrical system performance degradation characterization and modelling across environment variations 

• Definition and execution of assembly level acceptance and qualification testing. 

• Collaborate with avionics, structures/mechanisms, software, and production teams to define solar system requirements, integrated system qualification/acceptance testing, and on-orbit operations/data review 

• Lead design reviews, continually own system deliverables, and drive development schedules with accurate projections looking 12+ months ahead in development timeline 

• Collaborate with leadership on staffing plans, role definitions, and recruiting efforts to ensure the solar array team is appropriately staffed to meet system deliverables 

• Responsible for the evaluation and selection of manufacturing equipment for specialty processes 

• Partner with production to develop work instructions, in-process checkouts, and end-of-line tests that ensure successful builds 

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, materials science, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical field  

• 8+ years of experience in the design, manufacture, and test of solar arrays for space applications 

Nice to Have 

• Experience architecting solar array systems for space applications; including initial requirement definition, development testing, design, manufacturing, qualification, and analysis of flight data.  

• Background working on multiple solar array systems with variations in cell, module, and system architecture technologies for high-power long-life space applications.  

• Experience with AIAA S111/S112, SMC-S-016, NASA-STD-5017, and NASA-STD-4005 for the design and qualification of solar modules, moving mechanism assemblies, and spacecraft charging effects. 

• Experience designing solar arrays for resilience to exposure to radiation environments. 

• Demonstrated understanding of structural analysis and failure modes of complex mechanical systems in space environments and operations 

• Demonstrated understanding of high voltage solar array degradation analysis and failure modes. 

• Independent and self-motivated mindset, with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills across disciplines 

Compensation and Benefits: 

• Base salary range for this role is $175,000 - $200,000 + equity in the company 

• Salary and level 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., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.