Mechanical Engineer, Interceptor

About this role

Who We Are

GITAI is a space robotics company working to reduce the cost of work in space by 100x.

Space is no longer defined only by the cost of launch. Satellites, space stations, lunar infrastructure, and defense systems are becoming more capable and more ambitious. But getting hardware to space is only the first step. The harder problem is doing useful work once it is there.

GITAI develops robotic systems for orbital, lunar, and defense applications. Our robots are designed for tasks such as assembly, inspection, maintenance, construction, and surface operations in environments where human labor is expensive, dangerous, or impractical. To move fast and drive cost down, we keep hardware, software, testing, and integration close together. This allows our team to learn from real tests, shorten development cycles, and reduce dependency on slow external handoffs.

We are still early. The systems, the company, and the market are all being built at the same time. The work is difficult, and many answers are still not written down. If the work pulls you in, and you want to move it forward with your own hands, GITAI is the right place for you.

Your Mission

Design, build, and test the mechanical hardware that turns an interceptor concept into a working vehicle.

You will own interceptor hardware from early mechanical layouts through detailed design, prototype manufacturing, assembly, field testing, failure investigation, and redesign. The scope includes vehicle structures, motor and propulsion interfaces, avionics packaging, internal mechanisms, test articles, fixtures, and ground-support equipment. This is not a propulsion-performance or analysis-heavy position. You will perform the calculations needed to support sound engineering decisions, but the main work is practical mechanical engineering. The hardware must be manufacturable, assemble correctly, survive its expected environment, and be ready for the next test. You will work closely with propulsion, avionics, electrical, manufacturing, test, and supply chain teams. You will also spend significant time at remote test sites. The work requires broad ownership, fast technical learning, and the ability to keep moving when the design, hardware, or test plan changes.

What You’ll Drive

• Design and release mechanical hardware for interceptor vehicles, including primary and secondary structures, motor mounts and interfaces, avionics packaging, internal mechanisms, enclosures, test fixtures, and ground-support equipment.

• Translate system requirements, packaging constraints, expected loads, environmental conditions, and subsystem interfaces into manufacturable CAD models, drawings, bills of materials, and assembly definitions.

• Own the prototype build cycle by working directly with machinists, technicians, suppliers, and other engineers through fabrication, inspection, assembly, integration, fit checks, and rework.

• Prepare for and execute structural, environmental, propulsion-related, and vehicle-level tests, including test hardware, setup, field operations, teardown, inspection, and rapid repair.

• Investigate manufacturing, assembly, and test failures, identify likely root causes, and close the loop through practical design changes and the next hardware build.

• Make clear tradeoffs among mass, strength, stiffness, manufacturability, cost, schedule, testability, and reliability while maintaining appropriate configuration and design documentation.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.

• At least one year of professional experience at a rocketry, missile, launch-vehicle, propulsion, or closely related aerospace company.

• Direct experience designing mechanical hardware that was manufactured, assembl