---
title: 'Mechanical Engineer at Xona Space Systems'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-xona-space-systems-burlingame-qxva2nk9gzgq'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-04'
---

# Mechanical Engineer at Xona Space Systems

- **Company:** Xona Space Systems
- **Location:** Burlingame, CA
- **Compensation:** $132k–$178k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-31
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-04
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/xona-space/b2256626-f3e0-4d2b-8029-813744e905cd

## Job description

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

## Role Overview

We’re looking for a Mechanical Engineer who can independently take ownership of hardware and carry it from design through build and test. You will deliver spacecraft components, assemblies, and ground equipment, working closely with experienced engineers as your responsibilities grow. Projects may include primary structure, deployable mechanisms, launch vehicle interfaces, machined and sheet metal brackets, solar arrays, electronics enclosures, precision mounts, and high-criticality mechanical ground support equipment (GSE). Your assignments will evolve with the needs of the spacecraft and the team. You will own defined projects and assemblies, make day-to-day engineering decisions, and seek review when risks or interfaces require broader expertise. We value engineers who enjoy working with physical hardware, investigate problems carefully, and follow through on the details that make a design work.

## What you will do

- Own assigned components and assemblies from requirements through design, procurement, build, verification, and production support, with senior guidance on complex architecture and high-risk decisions.
- Design flight hardware and mechanical GSE; create and release CAD, drawings, bills of materials, and interface definitions with appropriate GD&T, tolerance analysis, and configuration control.
- Evaluate design options for strength, stiffness, packaging, manufacturability, assembly, cost, and schedule. Document recommendations and participate in design reviews.
- Use first-principles calculations and structural FEA appropriate to the hardware. Work with senior engineers and analysis specialists to confirm loads, assumptions, margins, and thermal interfaces.
- Build and evaluate prototypes, develop fixtures and functional test setups, and use measurements and test results to improve designs.
- Support assembly, integration, and qualification of assigned hardware, including occasional vibration and thermal vacuum (TVAC) test support, hardware preparation, and review of findings.
- Investigate manufacturing, integration, and test anomalies. Develop and verify corrective actions with the team, update documentation, and support production when issues arise.
- Work directly with suppliers and technicians to answer technical questions, review manufacturability and inspection needs, and resolve issues affecting hardware delivery.
- Coordinate interfaces across mechanical, thermal, electrical, payload, and integration and test teams. Track your commitments, communicate risks early, and ask for support before issues affect delivery.

Required qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering field.
- 3+ years of professional mechanical hardware development experience, with demonstrated ownership of components or assemblies.
- Experience carrying hardware through detailed design, fabrication, assembly, and physical testing; ability to explain your own decisions and results.
- Solid mechanical fundamentals, including load paths, joints and fasteners, materials, thermal and optical properties, machining, sheet metal fabrication, GD&T, and tolerance analysis.
- Proficiency in 3D CAD and engineering drawings using SolidWorks or a comparable platform, with experience following controlled release and revision processes.
- Ability to substantiate designs with engineering calculations and working knowledge of structural FEA, including loads, constraints, and basic checks of model results.
- Hands-on experience using tools, assembling hardware, developing test setups, and troubleshooting discrepancies between designs and actual hardware.
- Ability to manage defined projects independently, communicate technical issues clearly, collaborate across disciplines, and incorporate design feedback.

## Preferred qualifications

- Experience with spacecraft hardware, launch environments, or other high-reliability hardware with demanding structural and environmental requirements.
- Experience with deployment or separation mechanisms, precision assemblies, electronics packaging, or spacecraft handling and lifting equipment.
- Experience supporting vibration, shock, or thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing and using test results to improve hardware.
- Experience transitioning designs into repeatable production, resolving supplier issues, or improving assembly and inspection processes.
- Experience owning a small subsystem, working in a cleanroom, or supporting qualification and acceptance testing of flight hardware.

Experience in every hardware category listed above is not expected. We are interested in the depth of your engineering work, the hardware you have delivered, and your ability to apply that experience to new problems. For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

## About Xona Space Systems

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Xona Space Systems is building Pulsar, a high-integrity positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) constellation in Low Earth Orbit that delivers authenticated, centimeter-accurate services as a resilient alternative to GPS.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C – $170M raised ~April 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Burlingame, California, USA (also offices in Montreal, Canada and London, England)
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Brian Manning (CEO), Tyler Reid (CTO), Adrien Perkins (VP of Engineering)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Aerospace / Satellite Navigation, Defense & Critical Infrastructure, Autonomous Systems
- **Target customers**: B2B / B2G – enterprise, government, defense, autonomous robotics, construction, industrial IoT, and any application requiring resilient PNT
- **Mission**: “Unlock the potential of tomorrow’s technologies by providing the most robust and accurate navigation and timing services on Earth.”

## Products & Services
- **Pulsar Constellation**: A network of 258 small, software-defined satellites in LEO broadcasting secured, authenticated PNT signals. Offers native user accuracy at centimeter level and is designed to upgrade existing GPS devices via a software update.
- **Pulsar‑Verified Receivers & Simulators**: Certified hardware and test platforms for integrators. Includes reference designs and simulation tools.
- **Time Authentication Service**: A cryptographic layer that validates the origin and integrity of timing signals, providing resilience against spoofing and jamming.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (conflicting reports may exist; no official figure available)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding $327.53M (CB Insights); latest Series C closed ~April 2026 (amount $170M)
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Not publicly disclosed (funding specifics unknown). Key partners include Murata (MOU for LEO navigation in industrial applications), the Government of Canada (R&D collaboration to strengthen timing resilience), and the National Research Council of Canada.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Successfully launched Pulsar‑0, the first commercially funded navigation satellite, now in orbit for one year (June 2026).
  - 11+ patents filed (encrypted navigation signals, wireless locating, etc.).
  - Active hiring in Burlingame, Montreal, and London; 828 employees on LinkedIn as of mid‑2026.
  - Collaboration with ISED, NRC, and DRDC to broadcast Canada’s official time signal (UTC(NRC)) from space.

## Competitive Advantages
- **First‑mover with a privately funded navigation satellite** – Pulsar‑0 set a precedent for commercial LEO PNT.
- **Authenticated signals** – Cryptographic security native to the signal provides spoofing/jamming resistance unmatched by traditional GPS.
- **Software‑defined satellites** – Rapid constellation scaling and in‑orbit updates at a fraction of legacy system cost.
- **Multi‑national timing broadcast** – Ability to carry multiple official time standards (US, UK, Canada) on a shared infrastructure, creating sovereign resilience for allies.

## Strategic Focus
- **Constellation deployment** – Scale from prototype (Pulsar‑0) to a full production fleet of 258 satellites.
- **Ecosystem enablement** – Grow partner network of receiver makers, chipset vendors, and integrators (e.g., Murata, government bodies).
- **Geographic expansion** – Establish a strong presence in Canada (Montreal) and the UK (London) while deepening relationships with allied governments.
- **Defense & critical infrastructure** – Pursue contracts that require autonomous, tamper‑proof PNT for military, aviation, and grid timing.

## Why Work Here
- **Impact** – Work on “a generational technology at startup speed”; decisions are pushed to the people closest to the work. Culture of ownership and rapid iteration.
- **Compensation** – Competitive salary, equity (ownership culture), 401(k) / Roth 401(k).
- **Benefits** – 95% of healthcare premiums covered for US employees (50% for dependents); HSA/FSA options; supportive parental leave (equitable); flexible time off.
- **Workplace** – Burlingame office with catered lunches twice a week, snacks, drinks, coffee. Roles also in Montreal and London (hybrid likely per location, but remote‑first not stated).
- **Culture** – Engineering‑driven, fast‑shipping, collaborative; team includes leaders from industry and academia.

## Sources
1. [xonaspace.com](https://www.xonaspace.com/)
2. [xonaspace.com/careers](https://www.xonaspace.com/careers)
3. [xonaspace.com/mission](https://www.xonaspace.com/mission)
4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/xonaspace)
5. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/xona-space-systems)

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- [Technical Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-recruiter-xona-space-systems-montreal-gad04nx4ktzw) — Montréal, Canada
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