--- title: 'Assembly, Integration, and Test (AIT) Engineer at Space Kinetic' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/assembly-integration-and-test-ait-engineer-space-kinetic-el-segundo-mpc5xzmw4hm4' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-18' --- # Assembly, Integration, and Test (AIT) Engineer at Space Kinetic - **Company:** Space Kinetic - **Location:** El Segundo, CA - **Compensation:** $130k–$145k - **Posted:** 2026-10-15 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-18 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacekinetic/jobs/5453594008 ## Job description A New Paradigm for Space Operations ## Who We Are Space Kinetic is a dual-use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo,  we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on.  Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster. This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space. What You’ll Do: We are seeking an Assembly, Integration, and Test (AIT) Engineer to support the assembly, integration, verification, and testing of complex aerospace hardware and systems.This hands-on engineering role will help move hardware from engineering release through assembly, integration, functional testing, environmental testing, and final verification. The ideal candidate has practical experience working with aerospace hardware, understands mechanical and electrical integration fundamentals, and enjoys troubleshooting technical challenges in a fast-paced development environment. You will collaborate with mechanical, electrical, systems, software, manufacturing, quality, and test engineering teams to ensure hardware is assembled correctly, tested thoroughly, and delivered on schedule. Job Responsibilities: - Support assembly, integration, and testing activities for aerospace vehicles, spacecraft, payloads, subsystems, and ground support equipment. - Develop and maintain assembly procedures, work instructions, integration plans, and test procedures. - Perform mechanical and electrical integration of structures, mechanisms, avionics, harnesses, sensors, payloads, and other hardware. - Provide hands-on support during hardware builds and integration activities; troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and system-level issues. - Assist with root cause investigations, failure analysis, nonconformance resolution, and corrective actions. - Execute functional checkouts and support environmental testing, including thermal vacuum (TVAC), vibration, shock, and EMI/EMC testing. - Support test configuration planning, instrumentation, data acquisition, and the development of tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and ground support equipment. - Review engineering drawings, CAD models, schematics, wiring diagrams, and requirements to verify hardware readiness. - Maintain configuration control, hardware traceability, test records, and accurate as-built documentation. - Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and program teams to meet integration schedules and resolve technical issues. - Identify opportunities to improve AIT processes, test repeatability, quality, efficiency, and production throughput, including supporting automated test equipment and test scripts. What It Takes - Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field. - 2+ years of relevant professional experience in aerospace, defense, aviation, spacecraft, manufacturing, hardware integration, or test engineering. - Hands-on experience with hardware assembly, integration, testing, manufacturing, or production processes. - Experience developing, maintaining, or executing assembly procedures, work instructions, or test procedures. - Ability to troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, or system-level hardware issues and contribute to root cause analysis and corrective actions. - Ability to interpret engineering drawings, CAD models, GD&T, electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, or technical requirements. - Understanding of engineering configuration control, hardware traceability, and technical documentation. - Ability to work effectively with technicians and engineers in hands-on build and test environments. - Strong problem-solving, communication, organization, and collaboration skills. - Ability to take ownership of assigned tasks, resolve issues, and work across multidisciplinary engineering teams. ## What We’d Love - Experience with spacecraft, satellites, launch vehicles, payloads, missiles, aircraft, or other flight hardware. - Exposure to subsystem integration, vehicle-level verification, qualification testing, or acceptance testing. - Familiarity with environmental testing, including TVAC, vibration, shock, acoustics, and EMI/EMC. - Experience with avionics, electrical power systems, wiring harnesses, sensors, RF systems, mechanisms, or propulsion systems. - Familiarity with mechanical assembly processes, including bolted joints, precision alignment, bonding, staking, torquing, shimming, and flight hardware installation. - Experience with test fixtures, integration tooling, ground support equipment, or automated test equipment. - Familiarity with oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, power supplies, electronic loads, or data acquisition systems. - Experience with CAD and PLM tools, such as Siemens NX or SolidWorks. - Familiarity with aerospace workmanship, quality standards, and launch-site integration. - Interest in scaling hardware integration and test processes for higher-rate production. Where You’ll Be - The position is onsite at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA. Domestic travel may be required (up to ~20% of the year). ## What We Offer - Equity-based compensation - 401(k) retirement plan with a 3.5% company match - Competitive PTO - Paid company holidays and winter break - Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance - Performance-based bonus opportunities ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, a U.S. lawful permanent resident, a refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, an asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. ## Equal Employment Opportunity Space Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. The annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate, and internal equity. The annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity. Pay Range $130,000—$145,000 USD ## About Space Kinetic ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Space Kinetic is building a proprietary electromechanical deployment system to make space maneuver ultra-abundant and space systems ultra-affordable, focusing on national security priorities like missile defense and space superiority. - **Entity Type**: Private (Seed Stage – $12.0M Seed round led by Balerion Space Ventures in September 2025) - **Headquarters**: El Segundo, California, United States - **Founded**: 2022 - **Founders**: Scott Ziegler and Ryan Sullivan ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Defense and Space Manufacturing - **Target customers**: U.S. government and defense agencies (national security, missile defense, space superiority); B2G (Business-to-Government) - **Mission or purpose statement**: To rethink space operations down to first principles to deliver game-changing capabilities for missile defense and space superiority, making the space domain more secure, more prosperous, and more resilient. ## Products & Services - **Whirlwind Platform**: A proprietary electromechanical deployment system that deploys micro-payloads from a host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster. Decouples the propulsion system from the payload to bypass the tyranny of the rocket equation, enabling a “one-to-many” architecture for space missions. Type: Hardware + IP / Space Technology Platform. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company) - **Key Metric – Total Funding**: $12.2M across 4 rounds (latest: $12.0M Seed Round on 2025-09-13 led by Balerion Space Ventures with 10 investors) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Balerion Space Ventures (lead), CerraCap Ventures, Draper (DraperSPARX partner), AWS Space Accelerator, New Mexico Vintage Fund - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount grew 143.8% year-over-year (now ~35 employees) - Active job postings: 24 (monthly job posting growth +71.4%, quarterly +242.9%) - 4 offices across the U.S. (El Segundo HQ, Albuquerque, NM) - Recent partnerships: Draper named Space Kinetic a DraperSPARX partner (Aug 2025); CerraCap Ventures investment (Aug 2025) - LinkedIn followers: 8,570 (yearly growth +832.4%) ## Competitive Advantages - **Proprietary electromechanical deployment technology** that eliminates traditional propellant constraints, enabling abundant low-cost maneuver in space. - **“One-to-many” architecture** that fundamentally changes space mission economics, making space systems more affordable and scalable. - **Strong national security focus** with direct relevance to urgent U.S. defense priorities, creating a clear mission-driven market. - **First-principles engineering approach** that rethinks space operations from the ground up, differentiating from legacy propulsion-dependent systems. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling the Whirlwind platform from prototype to production (currently assembling 5 prototype units). - Deepening partnerships with defense agencies and strategic partners (Draper, CerraCap Ventures) to accelerate deployment. - Expanding engineering and manufacturing teams to support rapid iteration and transition to operational systems. - Continuing to raise capital and secure government contracts to fund growth and product maturation. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven culture**: Focus on solving the nation’s most urgent national security priorities in space superiority and missile defense. - **Values**: Intellectual horsepower, curiosity, grit, and commitment to the mission are core. - **Cutting-edge technical challenges**: Work on novel electromechanical deployment systems, GNC, flight software, and advanced manufacturing. - **Growth environment**: Rapidly scaling startup (143% headcount growth YoY) with opportunity to define the next era of space operations. - **Work policy**: Primarily on-site at El Segundo, CA (with some remote roles like ISO Compliance Consultant). Multiple U.S. offices (El Segundo HQ, Albuquerque, NM). - **Notable perks**: Venture-backed startup with competitive base compensation; opportunity to work directly on hardware prototypes and see them launch. - **Team composition**: High technical density (47% of staff in technical roles), with many engineers from top universities and companies (Tesla, UC Berkeley, Astra, REGENT). ## Sources 1. [spacekinetic.com](https://www.spacekinetic.com/company) 2. [spacekinetic.com](https://www.spacekinetic.com/) 3. [LinkedIn - Space Kinetic Corp.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-kinetic) 4. 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