Systems / Mechanical Engineer with Program Management

Accountabilities: Technical Leadership: Serve as the senior technical and program lead responsible for developing core mission systems and subsystems, ensuring alignment between engineering decisions, program objectives, and overall mission architecture. Hands-On Engineering: Conduct and oversee technical architecture development, engineering analysis, design reviews, and system-level trade studies while maintaining strong technical involvement in complex engineering challenges. Systems Engineering and Integration: Manage requirements decomposition, interface definition, subsystem coordination, and verification and validation planning to ensure that all system components work together effectively. Program Planning and Execution: Lead program planning, milestone definition, schedule tracking, resource allocation, and cross-functional coordination to deliver technical objectives within agreed constraints. Performance and Risk Management: Maintain accountability for schedule, technical performance, scope, and team deliverables. Identify emerging risks, communicate challenges early, and present data-driven mitigation options to leadership. Team Leadership and Development: Lead a growing multidisciplinary engineering team, establish technical direction, assign responsibilities, and promote accountability for high-quality deliverables. Recruitment and Mentorship: Support hiring, coaching, and professional development initiatives to build a strong engineering organization capable of tackling increasingly complex technical challenges. External Collaboration: Coordinate with external partners, vendors, and subject matter experts to support program execution, resolve technical issues, and integrate specialized expertise when required. Process and Organizational Development: Establish practical engineering processes, tools, reporting structures, and workflows that support effective execution as the organization grows. Technical Communication: Present program status, engineering trade-offs, schedule performance, resource requirements, and key risks clearly to leadership and other stakeholders. Continuous Improvement: Apply lessons learned from hardware development, testing, and engineering execution to strengthen technical decisions, improve processes, and increase program reliability. Requirements Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline. Advanced Qualifications: A master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field is a significant advantage and will be weighted in the evaluation. Industry Experience: Significant experience in aerospace, defense, or space systems engineering, preferably involving flight hardware, mission-critical systems, or hardware developed and tested in demanding environments. Program Management: Demonstrated experience in formal program or project management, including direct accountability for schedules, scope, technical performance, resources, and team output. Mechanical Engineering Profile: Candidates following the mechanical engineering pathway should have substantial aerospace or space systems experience, a strong understanding of mechanical systems and their interactions with thermal, structural, propulsion, and mission design, and proven program management experience. Systems Engineering Profile: Candidates following the systems engineering pathway should have experience contributing to or leading systems architecture for complex aerospace or defense programs, with practical knowledge of requirements decomposition, interface management, verification and validation, and system-level trade studies. Formal Systems Engineering Training: Training or certification in systems engineering methodologies, such as INCOSE, Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP), or Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), is preferred. People Management: Proven experience managing technical personnel, including directing engineers, assigning responsibilities, supporting recruitment, and developing team capabilities. Technical Problem-Solving: Strong analytical skills and the ability to perform engineering trade studies independently, evaluate technical options, and defend decisions using data and sound engineering judgment. Tools and Software: Familiarity with relevant requirements management and MBSE tools, SysML-based modeling, mechanical CAD, structural or thermal analysis software, and program management tools such as Microsoft Project or Primavera. Experience with earned value reporting and Microsoft Excel for budgets, tracking, and analysis is beneficial. Preferred Industry Exposure: Experience in space resource utilization, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), planetary science, lunar mission architecture, fusion energy, cryogenic systems, or quantum computing hardware is advantageous. Startup Experience: Previous experience in an aerospace startup, NewSpace company, or early-stage deep-tech organization is desirable, particularly in environments with limited precedent and evolving processes. Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical and programmatic information clearly to leadership, stakeholders, and multidisciplinary teams. Leadership and Adaptability: Ability to operate independently, make informed decisions under pressure, address problems transparently, and establish effective processes without introducing unnecessary complexity. Language Requirements: Professional English proficiency is essential. The résumé, application materials, assessments, and all role-related communication must be completed in English. Mission Alignment: A strong interest in ambitious engineering initiatives and the motivation to contribute to long-term advances in space exploration, energy, and advanced technology. Benefits Compensation: Up to $10 per hour, as stated in the original job posting. Fully Remote Work: Work remotely from Brazil, with no regular office attendance required. Full-Time Opportunity: A full-time position focused on long-term engineering and program development. Meaningful Technical Impact: Contribute to pioneering aerospace and space resource extraction technologies with potential applications in clean energy and advanced computing. Engineering and Leadership Growth: Opportunity to combine hands-on technical work with multidisciplinary program leadership and team development. Early-Stage Innovation: Help shape engineering processes, technical workflows, and organizational practices in an ambitious, evolving environment. Long-Term Career Potential: The hiring team values candidates who demonstrate commitment, continuity, and professional growth over time.