Senior Structural Engineer

Role: Senior Structural Design & Analysis Engineer

Employment Type: Full Time

Educational Qualification: Bachelors or Masters degree in Mechanical / Aerospace Engineering or equivalent discipline.

Work Experience: 5 years of relevant experience for Master’s candidates or 4 years of relevant experience for Bachelor’s candidates.

Role Description:
At Pixxel, we design, manufacture, test and place satellites in orbits. As a Structural Design and Analysis Engineer, you are responsible for the execution of an end-to-end design cycle of satellite structures including verification & validation of the simulation results. Additionally, you are also expected to create BOM, Engineering drawings and interface with manufacturing vendors for successful realization of structure.

Responsibilities & Duties:

• CAD Modeling of satellite structures, subsystems, avionic package housings, brackets etc.
• Parametric CAD modeling to perform quick design iterations.
• Finite Element Modeling and Analysis of satellite structures - Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.
• Perform Modal, Static, Shock, Acoustic, Sine and Random Vibration analysis using a commercial FEA package (preferably Siemens NX & Nastran).
• Perform analytical calculations to estimate design loads involving static and dynamic load cases.
• Generate load profiles for qualification testing of the satellite structure and verify the validity of these loads with the rest of the spacecraft vibration environment.
• Work with the testing team to establish test goals, requirements and pass/fail criteria.
• Perform correlation analysis between FEA and test data to improve FEM modeling methodologies.
• Perform trade-off and case studies on various edge-cases and cross-domain problems that could potentially impact and lead to structural design changes.
• Prepare concept design documentation on demand for pitching design ideas to internal & external stakeholders.
• Estimation of Mass Properties at subsystem as well as satellite level.
• Use Optimization techniques for mass / volume reduction to meet design requirements.
• BOM generation and management.
• ECN/ECR management for smooth flow of operations.
• Understanding and generation of Engineering drawings.
• Interfacing with cross-domain teams for information exchange, generate, assume, identify, ask for required inputs to advance the development.

Desirable Skills & Certifications:

• CAD and FEA - preferably using Siemens NX Nastran.
• Understanding of underlying mathematics, limitations and assumptions of the FEA.
• Knowledge of Aerospace materials.
• Knowledge of GD & T as per ASME Y14.5, ISO 286, ISO 2768.
• Knowledge of design and testing standards by NASA, ECSS, GSFC etc.
• Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DFMA).
• Failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA).
• Analytical and Problem solving skills.
• Technical writing and documentation.
• Ability to work in an agile development environment.

Candidate Acumen:
We are looking for a highly motivated and self-initiated individual who is able to work in a flat organizational structure. The ideal candidate will be able to work independently with minimal supervision and can positively add to the Pixxel culture.

Benefits:

• Health insurance coverage
• Unlimited leaves & flexible working hours
• Role-based remote work and work-from-home benefit
• Relocation assistance
• Professional Mental Wellness services
• Creche facility for primary caregivers (limited to India)
• Employee Stock Options for all hires

About Pixxel
Pixxel is a space data company and spacecraft manufacturer redefining Earth observation with hyperspectral imaging. The company’s first three commercial hyperspectral satellites—Fireflies—deliver imagery at 5-meter resolution and 135+ spectral bands, providing 50x richer detail than traditional Earth observation systems and unlocking insights across agriculture, climate, energy, environment, and more.

Once fully deployed, Pixxel’s constellation of 18-24 satellites will capture imagery across up to 250 bands in VNIR and SWIR ranges, with a 40 km swath and daily global revisit capability. Pixxel’s most unique strength is its full-stack approach, integrating every layer of the value chain from satellite hardware and manufacturing to AI-powered analytics.

Pixxel’s satellite constellation is complemented by Aurora, its in-house Earth Observation Studio that simplifies satellite imagery analysis and democratises remote sensing for all. Designed to make hyperspectral data more accessible, Aurora by Pixxel combines high-frequency imagery with AI-powered tools to generate actionable insights, even for users without technical backgrounds. The third pillar of Pixxel’s ecosystem is its in-house satellite manufacturing capability. Beyond building its own spacecraft, Pixxel also provides satellite systems and subsystems to other organisations. This dual capacity sets it apart in a sector where most companies focus on either payload design or data operations, but not both.

Pixxel’s team is young but deeply mission-aligned, with a culture rooted in curiosity, speed, and long-term thinking. As the company grows its constellation and expands Aurora, the focus remains on making space-based insights practical, scalable, and genuinely helpful so that the health of the planet becomes measurable and action becomes possible.

Pixxel was the only Indian startup selected for the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator in Los Angeles and has been recognised in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and Via Satellite’s Top Innovators list.

For more information, see our Careers page or follow Pixxel on LinkedIn and X/Twitter.

Culture
Pixxel is an organization where we enable our employees to work on world-changing problems that they are passionate about, and a place where they can be their best selves day in and day out while ensuring they have fun every day.

Central to our employee-first ethos is a commitment to ensuring that every team member feels valued and heard. We nurture a healthy and supportive work environment where we prioritise well-being and growth in all aspects of life.

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