Date posted: 28 Aug 2026

Pay:

$110,000 - $150,000 per year Job description:

Mechanical Design Engineer II Location:

Berthoud, CO (On-site)

Job Type:

Full-time Company:

Origami Space Development, Inc. About Us Origami Space is a venture-backed startup developing next-generation systems that radically change how space and defense missions connect, sense, and communicate. In just two years, we've secured multiple NASA and Department of War contracts. Our team combines unconventional mechanical design, deployable structures, and advanced manufacturing to create scalable, high-performance systems for land, air, and space missions. We move fast, build real hardware, and give engineers the opportunity to make a direct impact on mission success from day one. Position Overview Are you the kind of engineer who sees a mechanical problem and immediately starts thinking about how you would design, build, assemble, and test it? We are seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer with 4+ years of professional experience to develop aerospace components, mechanisms, assemblies, and complete mechanical systems from initial concept through fabrication and test. This role is centered on mechanical and system design. You'll work directly with senior engineers and founders on active NASA and defense programs, designing flight hardware, deployable structures, mechanisms, Ground Support Equipment (GSE), test fixtures, and prototype systems. We're looking for someone who is more than a CAD operator. You should understand how parts are made, how assemblies go together, how loads travel through a structure, how tolerances stack up, and how design decisions affect manufacturing, integration, and test. Our strongest engineers tend to have depth in mechanical engineering plus another technical strength. That "plus" could be aerospace, mechanisms, composites, manufacturing, structural analysis, robotics, controls, electronics, testing, or simply exceptional hands-on design experience. If you enjoy taking ambiguous requirements and turning them into well-designed hardware that works, you'll fit well here. Responsibilities

• Design aerospace components, mechanisms, deployable structures, and mechanical systems.
• Develop concepts and architectures from early requirements through detailed design.
• Create complex CAD models, assemblies, interfaces, and production drawings in SolidWorks.
• Perform mechanical design calculations including loads, stress, stiffness, fasteners, bearings, mechanisms, tolerance stacks, and other component-level analyses.
• Select materials, hardware, bearings, actuators, motors, fasteners, and other mechanical components.
• Design for manufacturability, assembly, inspection, integration, and test.
• Design Ground Support Equipment (GSE), fixtures, tooling, and test hardware.
• Work closely with manufacturing to take designs from CAD to physical hardware.
• Participate directly in prototype fabrication, assembly, integration, and test campaigns.
• Troubleshoot mechanical problems and rapidly iterate designs based on test results.
• Support design reviews, technical documentation, configuration control, and release of flight and production hardware.
• Help develop repeatable manufacturing and assembly processes as programs transition from prototypes toward production. Qualifications
• BS or MS degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering field.
• 4+ years of professional mechanical engineering experience.
• Strong mechanical design experience with demonstrated ownership of components or assemblies from concept through fabrication and test.
• Strong foundation in mechanics, materials, machine design, and mechanical design principles.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD; SolidWorks strongly preferred.
• Experience producing detailed engineering drawings and defining tolerances and interfaces.
• Practical understanding of machining, fabrication, assembly, and manufacturing processes.
• Demonstrated ability to take loosely defined technical requirements and turn them into working hardware.
• Hands-on mindset and willingness to build, assemble, test, troubleshoot, and iterate on your own designs.
• Strong technical communication and problem-solving skills.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. A clearance is not required at the time of application. Preferred (not required): We don't expect candidates to check every box. Additional experience in one or more of the following areas is a plus:
• Aerospace or spacecraft mechanical design.
• Deployable structures, mechanisms, hinges, latches, actuators, or precision mechanical systems.
• Composite structures and manufacturing.
• Structural analysis or FEA.
• GD&T and tolerance analysis.
• Motors, bearings, gearboxes, springs, cable systems, and other mechanism components.
• Design and integration of electromechanical systems.
• Aerospace Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and test fixtures.
• CNC machining, additive manufacturing, laser cutting, or other fabrication processes.
• Manufacturing engineering, process development, or production scaling.
• Environmental or structural testing of aerospace hardware.
• Python, MATLAB, C/C++, or other engineering programming experience.
• Electronics, sensors, instrumentation, controls, or PCB design. What We Offer
• Opportunity to make an immediate impact on active NASA and defense programs.
• Significant ownership of real flight hardware and mechanical systems.
• Exposure to the full engineering lifecycle: concept, design, analysis, prototyping, manufacturing, integration, test, and delivery.
• A hands-on engineering environment with rapid access to manufacturing and test equipment.
• A collaborative, venture-backed startup culture where good ideas can quickly become real hardware.
• Competitive salary with flexibility for exceptional capability.
• Stock options.

Job Type:

Full-time Benefits

• 401(k) matching
• 100% employer paid health insurance
• Paid time off

Stock Options Pay:

$110,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) matching Health insurance Paid time off Application Question(s): Are you eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance?

Experience:

Mechanical Engineering:

4 years (Required) Ability to

Commute:

Berthoud, CO 80513 (Required)

Work Location:

In person