Principal Development Test Engineer

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space. The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits. With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply. The Role As Principal Development Test Engineer, you will own the success of testing mechanical structures, materials, and electromechanical subsystems that will be key to our satellite operation. You will anticipate company needs and stand-up infrastructure to support the core and future business. In your first 6 months, you will define large-scale development test campaigns, design and build test setups, and be hands-on with flight hardware. In your first year, you will validate designs through prototype testing and lead large multidisciplinary test campaigns. You will drive company-wide best practices and make a large positive impact on the success of the K2 Space by leading large test campaigns and mentoring the growing team. Responsibilities Design and fabricate test hardware, test stands, and test systems, as well as execute development tests for structures, components, and materials in order to support internal and external customer needs Lead satellite subsystem test campaigns from kickoff through test report and beyond Drive hands on hardware development testing, analysis processing/data reduction, and continuous improvement of testing methods and best practices across the company Steer the development of data acquisition, control, and instrumentation systems at the integrated level and develop internal tools and company-wide best practices Collaborate with a cross-functional team to establish product requirements, testing methods and project test schedules, and mentor early-career engineers Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or other relevant engineering discipline 8+ years of industry experience with mechanical, structural, and/or electromechanical test, design, and analysis Experience designing, building, and testing mechanical assemblies and test fixtures for aerospace or terrestrial applications (satellite mechanical systems, payloads, launch vehicles, propulsion systems, and/or aircraft structures and mechanisms) Experience with CAD or FEA software packages Hands-on fabrication experience Nice to Have Experience with data acquisition, controls, and dedicated test equipment (examples include motor dynos, material testers, vibration tables, environmental data loggers, motorsports DAQ) Experience with the practical application of GDT Experience with NX (Unigraphics) and Teamcenter PLM Experience with performing structural analysis (Simcenter 3D, Femap, or Hypermesh) Basic practical programming abilities (Python, MATLAB, Simulink, C++, R, LabVIEW) Demonstrated ability to own mechanical hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team Demonstrated understanding of structural analysis and fa ... (truncated, view full listing at source)