What's Your Passion at Space Kinetic (El Segundo, CA)
Space Kinetic· El Segundo, CA·
Job description
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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.
Where You’ll Be:
- Positions will be on-site at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA, or possibly remote.
What We offer:
- Competitive Base Salary + Equity-Based Compensation
- Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
- Unique Performance-Based Bonus Structure
- Health and Wellness Stipend
- Commuter Benefits
ITAR Requirements: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here
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.
Why work at Space Kinetic
- 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).