Principal Automation & Controls Engineer
About this role
K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.
The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.
With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.
The Role
You’ll be at the heart of bringing the production system to life. K2 has a strong push to vertically integrate our production system, which means you’ll work side-by-side with the production and engineering team to concept, develop, and roll out various automation projects to support this vision. At a principal level, you’ll not just be implementing automation and controls projects, you’ll help shape how K2 approaches these types of projects – setting standards, requirements, design process, and determining what automation looks like at K2.
This role is built for someone who wants to help own the future of satellite manufacturing, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and wants to take high levels of ownership You’ll draw on your deep technical intuition, contribute to systems that scale, and have core impact in increasingly complex challenges as we push towards higher-rate production in an environment unlike anywhere else.
Responsibilities
- Own the company roadmap of production automation across hardware and control layers, working closely with mechanical, electrical, and production engineers
- Conceive, design, and develop production tooling electromechanical automation assemblies either in-house or through vendors
- Own hands-on buildout, activation, and qualification of automation and controls projects across the production line spanning machine design, robotics, computer vision, and other systems
- Shape and implement our HMI strategy and PLC automation in a way that makes machines easy to operate with repeatable results
- Understand build flow, production reliability, and process control to implement strategies to increase production takt rate and first pass yield
- Mentor and develop junior engineers, raising the technical bar across the team to help achieve our automation and production goals
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, aerospace, materials or other relevant engineering discipline
- 4+ years of experience in a high-volume manufacturing, production, or hands-on engineering environment
- 6+ years of experience working in industrial automation and controls in a production environment, including full-stack ownership
- Strong hands-on aptitude and willingness to work directly with hardware on the production floor
- In-depth knowledge of precision assembly and electromechanical fabrication processes
- Ability to generate and review engineering drawings, schematics, and technical documentation
- Experience setting up a manufacturing/production floor for first article builds through at rate production
Nice to Have
- Full-stack and state of the art experience with industrial automation hardware & controls, PLC/HMI/Robotics software control stacks, electrical and fluid schematics
- Exposure to space, defense, or other high-reliability manufacturing environments
- Experience designing automation systems for manufacturability
- Demonstrated experience developing production processes from the ground up including driving design improvements for manufacturing
- Experience working closely with technicians and build tooling
- Familiarity with CAD software (NX or equivalent) and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)
Compensation and Benefits:
- Base salary range for this role is $175,000 – $200,000 + equity in the company
- Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
- Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision/ coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks
If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!
If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
Export Compliance
As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”
The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.
Equal Opportunity
K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
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