---
title: 'Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer at Astranis'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-opto-mechanical-engineer-astranis-san-francisco-jk0192a84exw'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-07'
---

# Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer at Astranis

- **Company:** Astranis
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $145k–$225k
- **Posted:** 2026-11-03
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-07
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/astranis/jobs/4721317006

## Job description

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.

With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.

Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer

As an Astranis Opto-Mechanical Design Engineer you will own the complete lifecycle of various opto-mechanical systems on our spacecraft. Whether it is incremental improvements or the introduction of a new system, you will work together with the various other teams at Astranis to make them a reality.

In addition to being a significant individual on your own, you will mentor and train junior opt-mechanical engineers on such projects. You must have a strong problem-solving background, hands-on testing skills, and preferably some experience with spacecraft and/or aerospace engineering.

## Role

- Develop new opto-mechanical products from concept and detailed design through engineering drawings, vendor selection, evaluation, prototype builds and production
- Design and integrate free-space optical assemblies, miniature optics, optical mounts and precision alignment mechanisms
- Perform detailed tolerance analyses and tolerance stack-ups for optical and mechanical assemblies
- Integrate mechanical, optical and electrical components into complex optoelectronic systems
- Lead mechanical and opto-mechanical design reviews
- Work closely with optical, electrical, manufacturing and other cross-functional engineering teams
- Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team.

## Requirements

- B.S. or M.S in mechanical, aerospace engineering or equivalent
- 5+ years of opto-mechanical design experience, combining precision mechanical design with optical system integration
- Experience in detailed design, development and validation of mechanical assemblies from prototype through manufacturing
- Experience designing mechanical mounts, interfaces and assemblies for optical components such as lenses, mirrors, lasers/light sources, detectors, fibers or similar optical components
- Experience with precision optical alignment, including active and/or passive alignment; micron or sub-micron alignment experience is highly desirable
- Experience with free-space optics and miniature optical assemblies
- Experience working with suppliers and/or contract manufacturers
- A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment with hands-on design and development
- A motivated leader who has experience mentoring and supporting junior engineers
- Understanding of how mechanical tolerances, thermal effects, vibration and assembly variation can affect optical performance and alignment
- Don't meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria

Bonus

- Experience running a development program while delegating to a small team
- Experience in synthesizing requirements and flowing them down to sub-scale verification builds and testing
- Knowledge of geometric optics and semiconductor packaging/assembly
- Experience designing prototype or production equipment for optoelectronic manufacturing
- Experience managing a team of engineers

What we offer:

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

Base Salary $145,000—$225,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.

Astranis SMS Terms of Service

- Recruiting Updates: By opting in, you agree to receive SMS updates, interview coordination, and recruiting communications from Astranis Space Technologies Corp.

- Opt-Out: You can cancel this service at any time by replying STOP. We will send one final text confirming your unsubscription.

- Opt-In Again: To resume receiving messages, reply START or YES.

- Support & Rates: For assistance, reply HELP or contact us at +16504498097. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies; carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

- Privacy: For details on how we protect your data, view our [Privacy Policy](https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.astranis.com%2Flegal%2Fprivacy).

## About Astranis

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Astranis designs, builds, and operates small, radiation-hardened geostationary (GEO) satellites for dedicated broadband and government missions.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series E, total funding >$1.2B)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2015
- **Founders**: John Gedmark (CEO), Ryan McLinko (CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Space Research and Technology – geostationary communications satellites.
- **Target customers**: Telecommunications operators (B2B), U.S. Government (Space Force, NASA), allied nations.
- **Mission statement**: “Connect the world” and “extend humanity’s reach beyond Low Earth Orbit.”

## Products & Services
- **[MicroGEO]**: A small, radiation-hardened GEO satellite that delivers dedicated broadband (up to 8.5 Gbit/s per satellite). Used for commercial connectivity and government missions (communications, PNT, science).
- **[Government Programs]**: Prime contractor for Space Force’s Resilient GPS program; contracts with NASA and other defense partners for high-orbit spacecraft.
- **[Satellite Services]**: End‑to‑end design, manufacture, test, and operation of GEO satellites. Over $1 billion in satellite services sold across 10+ satellites on contract.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Total funding raised >$1.2 billion (latest Series E of $450M added in 2025).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: BlackRock, Venrock, Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator (Winter 2016 cohort). Customers include Pacific Dataport (Alaska), Orbits Corp (Philippines), Thaicom (Thailand), Orbith (Argentina), Apco Networks (Mexico), and U.S. Space Force.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount: 439 employees (+21.4% YoY) as of mid‑2025.
  - 5 satellites currently on orbit; 10+ under contract.
  - Goal to launch 100 satellites by 2030.
  - Selected to design next‑gen Resilient GPS satellites for Space Force.
  - Expanded into government science, PNT, and national security missions.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Only company building small, radiation‑hardened satellites for GEO** – traditional GEO satellites are behemoths costing hundreds of millions; Astranis’s compact design slashes cost and lead time.
- **In‑house manufacturing and testing** at Historic Pier 70 (San Francisco) – full vertical integration from machining to final test.
- **Radiation‑tolerant electronics** that survive the harsh GEO environment without expensive custom radiation‑hardened components.
- **Dedicated satellite networks** – each MicroGEO provides a private, resilient link, unlike shared LEO constellations.

## Strategic Focus
- Scale production to 100+ satellites by 2030, targeting both commercial broadband and major U.S. Government programs of record.
- Expand beyond communications into position, navigation, and timing (PNT), science, and national security missions.
- Strengthen “New Prime” role for defense space contracts.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “Calling, not a career” – mission‑driven team working on the world’s most advanced high‑orbit satellites.
- **Work model**: Fully in‑person, 5 days per week at a historic factory/shipyard turned spaceship factory.
- **Compensation**: Competitive pay, broad equity ownership, and comprehensive health/wealth/well‑being benefits.
- **Impact**: Directly connect millions of people to affordable internet and support U.S. national security from space.
- **Growth**: 131 active job openings across hardware, software, manufacturing, operations, and government programs (as of mid‑2025).

## Sources
1. [astranis.com](https://www.astranis.com/)
2. [astranis.com/careers](https://www.astranis.com/careers)
3. [LinkedIn – Astranis](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astranis)
4. [Wikipedia – Astranis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astranis)
5. [Greenhouse – Astranis Jobs](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/astranis)

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- [Hardware Test Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-test-engineer-astranis-san-francisco-k8z0wz1qcgcq) — San Francisco, CA
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