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Principal Automation & Controls Engineer

K2 Space· Vehicle Operations
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Los Angeles, CA$175k - $200kfull-timePosted 5mo ago

About the role

Senior role focused on automating and scaling satellite manufacturing production. Owns the production automation roadmap, shapes standards and design processes, and leads hands-on automation and controls projects across the production line to enable high-rate, reliable manufacturing of K2 satellites.

Responsibilities

  • Own the company roadmap of production automation across hardware and control layers, working closely with mechanical, electrical, and production engineers
  • Conceive, design, and develop production tooling electromechanical automation assemblies either in-house or through vendors
  • Own hands-on buildout, activation, and qualification of automation and controls projects across the production line spanning machine design, robotics, computer vision, and other systems
  • Shape and implement our HMI strategy and PLC automation in a way that makes machines easy to operate with repeatable results
  • Understand build flow, production reliability, and process control to implement strategies to increase production takt rate and first pass yield
  • Mentor and develop junior engineers, raising the technical bar across the team to help achieve our automation and production goals

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, aerospace, materials or other relevant engineering discipline
  • 4+ years of experience in a high-volume manufacturing, production, or hands-on engineering environment
  • 6+ years of experience working in industrial automation and controls in a production environment, including full-stack ownership
  • Strong hands-on aptitude and willingness to work directly with hardware on the production floor
  • In-depth knowledge of precision assembly and electromechanical fabrication processes
  • Ability to generate and review engineering drawings, schematics, and technical documentation
  • Experience setting up a manufacturing/production floor for first article builds through at rate production

Skills

Required:Automation strategyElectromechanical designHMI/PLC programming

Benefits

  • Base salary range for this role is $175,000 – $200,000 + equity in the company
  • Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks
Last updated Sep 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About K2 Space

Build Bigger

Building the largest satellites in orbit. Ultra-powerful, scalable platforms engineered for LEO–cislunar missions. Explore the next-generation of satellites.

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