Senior Mechanical Engineering Manager, Project Suncatcher

We are seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineering Manager to lead our advanced aerospace hardware initiative. In this senior role, you will define the mechanical system architecture and build a team dedicated to designing, analyzing, and testing space-ready Google TPU enclosures and thermal interfaces.

Your team will adapt terrestrial designs for novel, non-data center environments by driving CAD for DFx, structural analysis, and comprehensive testing. You will provide deep aerospace expertise - including launch vibration analysis and vacuum material compatibility - and collaborate cross-functionally with hardware, software, and systems engineers. Additionally, you will guide the team in managing top-level CAD assemblies, creating production bills of material, and optimizing designs for constrained space environments.

In this role, you will work with technical information that is export-controlled. Non-US persons would require an export license to do so (US citizens, lawful permanent residents, and certain protected individuals are considered “US persons” under applicable law).

Our advanced aerospace hardware initiative is deploying advanced Google compute (TPUs) and multi-sensor hardware infrastructure into orbital and extreme aerospace environments. This interdisciplinary team is engaged in rapid experimentation, prototyping, and detailed studies of physical limits to develop space-ready hardware architectures.Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $222000 - $308000 (USD) + 25% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, Electrical Engineering, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience working in mechanical design, manufacturing, and testing for aerospace applications.
• 5 years of experience in technical leadership.
• Experience managing external manufacturing vendors and machine shop qualifications.
• Experience designing and qualifying mechanical structures using CAD modeling and structural Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

Preferred qualifications:

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience with satellite constellation mass-production and high-rate smallsat packaging.
• Experience managing teams specializing in electronics enclosure design, structural analysis, and vibration/shock planning.
• Experience delivering machined and extruded mechanical systems.
• Experience integrating optical benches, cameras, or multi-sensor payloads with kinematic alignment.

• Lead the architecture definition of the end-to-end mechanical design and modification for critical TPU-related hardware systems.
• Manage a mechanical engineering team responsible for mechanical design, analysis, manufacturing, integration, and testing of space-ready enclosures.
• Manage external aerospace manufacturing vendors and partners to execute precision machining and structural extrusion designs.
• Oversee vibration testing plans, execution, analysis, and comprehensive mechanical incoming inspection procedures.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks related to mechanical engineering design, and generate comprehensive design specifications.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, Electrical Engineering, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience working in mechanical design, manufacturing, and testing for aerospace applications.
• 5 years of experience in technical leadership.
• Experience managing external manufacturing vendors and machine shop qualifications.
• Experience designing and qualifying mechanical structures using CAD modeling and structural Finite Element Analysis (FEA).