Senior Soft Goods Engineer Expandable Space Habitats
Required Qualifications
Bachelors or Master's degree or equivalent experience in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related field.
10+ years of hands-on experience developing soft goods structures in the aerospace sector.
Proven track record at one or more of: Bigelow Aerospace, Sierra Space, Lockheed Martin, or related space/aerospace organizations.
Expertise in aerospace fabrics, restraint layer design, bladder systems, and multilayer insulation.
Familiarity with NASA and ASTM testing standards for expandable structures.
Experience working with flight-certified manufacturing processes and QA documentation.
Technical leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with launch vehicle integration and environmental qualification testing.
Knowledge of space station interface requirements (ISS, CLD platforms).
Experience with lunar or planetary surface structure design considerations.
Patent or IP contributions in soft goods technologies.
Key Responsibilities
Support the design, material selection, and fabrication processes for soft goods components of expandable habitats.
Develop, refine, and execute test plans for soft goods, including pressure retention, micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) resistance, thermal durability, and radiation shielding.
Collaborate with systems, mechanical, and integration engineers to ensure cohesive structural and functional designs.
Own and improve key processes including bonding, welding, stitching, lamination, and bladder construction.
Oversee vendor relationships, material certification, and production quality control of soft goods components.
Support the full lifecycle from concept through to flight-ready hardware, ensuring alignment with NASA, commercial, and defense standards.
Provide mentorship and knowledge transfer to a growing engineering team.
Drive innovation in soft goods architecture to support modular growth and surface deployability.
EEO
