---
title: 'Manager, Mechanical and Thermal Systems at ICEYE US'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/manager-mechanical-and-thermal-systems-iceye-us-irvine-kd0egfm0cqf0'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-19'
---

# Manager, Mechanical and Thermal Systems at ICEYE US

- **Company:** ICEYE US
- **Location:** Irvine, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-22
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-19
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/iceye-us-jobs/56c879a3-1188-47c6-b3b6-4d045a789e5b

## Job description

Third-party recruiters: Please do not contact us about this role. Manager, Mechanical and Thermal Systems

At ICEYE, we design, build and operate the largest fleet of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites in the world. Using advanced technology, our constellation collects topographical data about any location on Earth, day or night, through any weather conditions. Headquartered in Southern California, our customers are society’s heroes – intelligence professionals, warfighters, first responders, and scientific researchers. As a trusted mission partner, the United States and its allies depend on us for critical information when it matters most.

## Role Description

ICEYE US is developing next-generation spaceborne SAR payloads and full space vehicles and is seeking a Manager, Mechanical & Thermal Systems to lead the engineering team responsible for mechanical structures, mechanisms, deployable, and thermal control. Sitting within the Space Systems engineering team, this role owns the full mechanical and thermal subsystem lifecycle — from early architecture and trade studies through environmental verification and flight acceptance — while building and leading a team of mechanical and thermal engineers. The manager will oversee payload-to-bus interface definition, structural integrity, thermal margin compliance, and environmental test campaigns for flight hardware. They will coordinate daily with RF, avionics, systems engineering, and AIT teams, and serve as the primary mechanical and thermal technical authority across all program lifecycle reviews.

## Responsibilities

- Lead, mentor, and grow a team of mechanical and thermal engineers; own hiring, onboarding, performance development, and technical career growth for direct reports.
- Accountable for design and analysis of mechanical structures, mechanisms, and deployables for small- to mid-size space hardware, with a focus on adapting existing designs for space vehicle integration.
- Own the structures and mechanisms engineering lifecycle, including requirements decomposition, interface definition, and verification and validation closure for various programs.
- Ensure mechanical and structural designs meet all thermal, vibration, acoustic, and load requirements across the full environmental envelope.
- Collaborate with cross-functional subsystem teams — RF, thermal, avionics, and AIT — to satisfy mass, volume, structural margin, and manufacturability constraints.
- Lead environmental test planning and execution for the flight article, including thermal vacuum (TVAC), vibration, shock, and deployment testing; own test data review and disposition.
- Define and optimize manufacturing and assembly processes to support producibility, scaling across bus implementations, and schedule-driven build milestones.
- Own MGSE design and AIT build support, including payload-to-bus attachment interface definition and adapter design for both current and future mission applications.
- Set and enforce mechanical and thermal engineering standards, processes, and operating framework governing how structures, mechanisms, and thermal systems are designed, analyzed, tested, and verified across the program lifecycle — including modeling standards, drawing and CAD configuration control practices, analysis report formats, and environmental test readiness criteria.

Required Qualifications

- 8+ years of experience in mechanical design for space-rated hardware.
- Experience in designing space deployables.
- 2+ years of direct engineering management or technical lead experience, including tasking, mentorship, and performance ownership.
- Proficiency in CAD tools (SolidWorks, Creo, CATIA, or similar).
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
- Experience in thermal design and control.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with lightweight composite structures and advanced materials.
- Familiarity with DFM (Design for Manufacturing) and machining for aerospace.
- Knowledge of FEM/FEA analysis tools (ANSYS, NASTRAN, etc.).
- Experience in space missions for LEO.

Pay Range and Compensation Package

- The estimated base salary range for this role is $155k - $195k depending on experience
- Other benefits include health coverage, flexible PTO, a friendly work environment, plus extra fun perks!

Physical Requirements This position primarily works in an office environment. It requires the ability to sit or stand for long periods of time and frequent walking. Daily use of a computer, phone, office equipment and other computing and digital devices is required. Some travel may be necessary – the ability to travel by car, plane, train, bus, vessel, or metro, operate a motor vehicle and maintain a valid Driver’s License and/or effectively navigate public transportation is required. While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee must be able to read and respond to inter-office communications as well as effectively participate in meetings. The employee is often required to sit and use their hands or fingers, to lift up to 50 lbs., pull, push, carry, handle, or feel. The employee is required to carry, handle items, reach with arms and hands, to stoop, kneel, or crouch; talk, or hear. Mental demands may require prolonged concentration, reading comprehension, understanding and interpretation of concepts, ideas, and philosophies. The physical demands of the position described herein are essential functions of the job and employees must be able to successfully perform these tasks for extended periods. Reasonable accommodations may be made for those individuals with real or perceived disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job described unless such accommodations would cause ICEYE US an undue burden.

## EEO Statement

ICEYE US is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.

## About ICEYE US

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: ICEYE US delivers synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery and space systems to U.S. government agencies, allies, and commercial partners for persistent monitoring, national security, disaster response, and environmental intelligence.
- **Entity Type**: Private (US subsidiary of ICEYE Oy, a venture-backed Finnish parent company)
- **Headquarters**: Irvine, California, United States
- **Founded**: Not publicly available (parent company ICEYE founded in 2014)
- **Founders**: Not publicly available (parent company founders include Rafal Modrzewski)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Defense and national security, space-based earth observation, geospatial intelligence, environmental monitoring, disaster response
- **Target customers**: U.S. government agencies (including DoD and intelligence community), allied governments, defense contractors, commercial enterprises
- **Mission statement**: “Improve life on Earth by delivering truth from space” — with a focus on “relentless readiness for national, economic, and environmental security”

## Products & Services
- **SAR Data Products**: Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery in Dwell (25 cm resolution), Spot (50 cm), Strip (3 m), and Scan (15 m) modes. Accessible through the world’s largest commercial SAR constellation, enabling day/night, all-weather imaging with rapid revisit times.
- **Space Systems**: Vertically integrated design, build, and operation of miniaturized SAR satellites; flight-proven platforms available for partner missions.
- **Solutions for National Security**: Persistent monitoring for maritime awareness, border security, counter-trafficking, infrastructure surveillance, and tactical intelligence.
- **Solutions for Economic Security**: Supply chain monitoring, port security, resource management, illegal fishing detection.
- **Solutions for Environmental Security**: Climate research, disaster response, Arctic monitoring, environmental impact assessment.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (parent company ICEYE was valued at over $1.8B in its 2024 Series D, but ICEYE US is a subsidiary)
- **Key Metric**: Headcount of 63 employees (+59.2% year-over-year as of mid-2026); parent company operates a fleet of 50+ satellites
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Parent company investors include Seraphim Space, True Ventures, and others. Key U.S. partner/customer: National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) under the Strategic Commercial Enhancements Program.
- **Growth Signals**: 207.6% yearly growth in LinkedIn followers; 400% quarterly increase in job postings; appointment of Ann Stevens as CEO (June 2026); NRO contract win

## Competitive Advantages
- Operates the **world’s largest commercial SAR satellite constellation**, providing unmatched revisit and coverage.
- **25 cm resolution** from a small satellite platform — the industry’s highest fidelity commercial SAR product.
- **All-weather, day/night** persistent monitoring capability — cloud, smoke, and darkness do not hinder data collection.
- **U.S. soil** design, build, launch, and operations (Irvine, CA) — critical for national security customers.
- **Vertical integration** of satellite production and ground systems enables rapid iteration and cost efficiency.
- **AI integration** for automated analysis and faster decision-making.

## Strategic Focus
- Deepening partnerships with U.S. defense and intelligence agencies, as evidenced by the NRO contract and CEO appointment of a national security veteran.
- Expanding the constellation to increase revisit frequency and resolution capabilities.
- Enhancing AI-driven analytics and real-time data dissemination to shorten the “observe to action” cycle.
- Growing the U.S. workforce and strengthening Southern California’s defense-tech ecosystem.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Direct impact on national security, disaster response, and environmental resilience — “your work benefits humanity.”
- **Benefits**: 401k matching, up to 12 weeks paid parental leave, industry-leading medical/dental/vision including HSA, unlimited PTO, flexible work arrangements and commuter benefits.
- **Growth**: Rapid headcount growth (+59% YoY) and expanding contract portfolio provide career advancement opportunities.
- **Culture values**: “Act as one,” “Help others,” “Drive effective teamwork,” “Have fun” — collaborative, resourceful, and high-trust environment.
- **Work policy**: Flexible work arrangements available (hybrid likely; specific remote policy not detailed).
- **Engineering culture**: Hands-on work with advanced satellite and radar technology, software-defined architecture, and AI — pushing the boundaries of space-based monitoring.

## Sources
1. [iceye.us - Company Overview](https://iceye.us/)
2. [iceye.us - Careers page](https://iceye.us/join-us)
3. [iceye.us - Who We Are](https://iceye.us/who-we-are)
4. [iceye.us - What We Do](https://iceye.us/what-we-do)
5. [linkedin.com - ICEYE US Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/iceyeus)

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