Project Engineer, Principal
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Goleta, California, United States
Redwire’s Goleta facility is Made for the Mission, delivering advanced power generation technologies that enable spacecraft to operate reliably across every orbit and mission profile. With proprietary designs, deep technical expertise, and large‑scale production capabilities, the team develops solar array solutions tailored to each customer’s size, power, and orbital needs. At the heart of these offerings is Redwire’s patented Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA), an award‑winning system that uses composite booms and modular photovoltaic blankets to create compactly stowable, highly efficient solar arrays. These mission-proven power systems have supported successful deployments across LEO, GEO, and deep space missions, including the ISS, NASA’s IXPE mission, and NASA’s DART mission.
We are seeking Principal Project Engineer to join our Goleta, CA team and lead the technical execution of complex, mission-enabling space hardware from concept through delivery. You will drive systems-level design, development, evaluation, and refinement across the entire product lifecycle while contributing as a technical leader in long‑range planning and emerging technology development.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the technical lead for assigned programs or project teams, ensuring scope, schedule, resources, and budget remain aligned.
- Available as a senior technical resource as needed: customer-facing technical engagement and capture support, informal mentoring of junior and mid-level engineers, and contribution to requirements, verification, and design review practice.
- Maintain technical integrity throughout all phases of a project and act as the primary point of technical escalation and resolution.
- Translate product development strategies into system-level requirements and coordinate with engineering disciplines to develop detailed lower-level specifications.
- Lead design reviews and develop or review verification plans, validation procedures, and customer acceptance test procedures.
- Generate, review, and present all required project documentation.
- Develop system-level requirements, verification procedures, and compliance documentation.
- Ensure requirements traceability and verification through successful test execution.
- Assess system performance using evaluation criteria, analyses, and technical performance measures.
- Participate in or lead non-conformance investigations and disposition activities.
- Serve as a technical liaison with customers and support business development activities as needed.
- Provide guidance to internal teams at the brand, program, and project levels.
- Establish and coordinate standards, practices, and procedures related to product development and engineering excellence.
- Partner with program management to ensure project execution aligns with customer expectations and internal guidelines.
- Control project costs through effective resource planning and close management of system-level decisions.
- Support both internal and customer-facing project updates and technical presentations.
- Travel occasionally as required (approximately 10–15%), primarily local with some overnight trips.
Basic Qualifications
- B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline.
- Minimum of 15+ years of experience in designing, developing, manufacturing, and testing production hardware.
- Proven systems-level engineering experience and prior leadership of technical teams.
- Experience with space mechanism design and aerospace guidelines.
- Proficiency in CAD and PDM systems.
- Strong drafting knowledge and understanding of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) and tolerance analysis.
- Experience preparing and presenting technical updates to internal and external stakeholders.
- Familiarity with root cause analysis processes.
Preferred Qualifications
- M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience with PDM Pro, SolidWorks, SolidWorks Simulation, Thermal Desktop, NASTRAN, or ANSYS.
- Familiarity with aerospace standards such as GSFC-STD-7000A (GEVS), AIAA S-114-2005, NASA-STD-5017, MMPDS, and similar.
- Experience with graphite and fiberglass composites, photovoltaics, flexible circuits, or printed circuit board assemblies.
- Background in the design, manufacturing, and verification of PV systems or composite structures.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 (SharePoint, Teams); Microsoft Project experience a plus.
- Training or certification in Lean Six Sigma.
- Strong attention to detail and excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Self-motivated, with the ability to independently apply engineering principles and practices.
Grow with us as we innovate the next generation capabilities for a new era of space exploration! We offer a highly competitive benefits package along with a commitment to our core values of Integrity, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, and Excellence.
Don’t meet every single requirement above? No worries. We want people who can grow, collaborate and build a stronger team. We strive to build a diverse and inclusive culture, so if you’re excited about this job posting, we encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
How We Determine What We Pay (Compensation Philosophy)
Redwire determines pay for positions using local, national, and industry-specific survey data, for our locations throughout the US. We will evaluate external equity and the cost of labor/prevailing wage index, in the relative marketplace for jobs directly comparable to jobs within our company.
For new hires, we strive to make competitive offers allowing the new employee room for future growth. Salaries will be based on the applicant’s level of experience, education, and specialized knowledge and skills. Additionally, we consider the external market rate, the amount we have budgeted internally, and internal equity within the company for the same position. An employee/candidate with a stronger skill set will receive higher pay.
Redwire is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Redwire 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.
All offers of employment at Redwire are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US. Note that some positions will also require US citizenship or ability to obtain a security clearance due to requirements of a classified program.
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR
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