Quality Engineer, Mechanical

Muon Space
San Jose, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Strong fit for mechanical quality professionals who implement and refine aerospace standards, and have experience in cleanroom environments.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with aerospace manufacturing experience and a background in quality assurance processes
    — “passionate about aerospace manufacturing, with a strong commitment to production and quality assurance for high-reliability spaceflight hardware”
  • Individuals who can lead nonconformance investigations and coordinate with vendors and internal teams
    — “Work directly with our in-house machine shop, our Supplier Quality Engineers, and vendors during corrective action investigations.”
  • Professionals skilled in GD&T and dimensional inspection, with a focus on precision and reliability
    — “Strong working knowledge of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) and the ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings and specifications.”

Things to consider

  • Requires a significant travel commitment for supplier audits and corrective actions
    — “Willingness to travel up to 40% to supplier sites as needed for audits, FAIs, and corrective action support.”
  • Must be fully onsite in San Jose, CA, with no remote flexibility
    — “This position is fully onsite and requires working in our San Jose, CA office five days a week.”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with ASME Y14.5 and dimensional inspection tools in your resume
    — “Experience with dimensional inspection methods and equipment (calipers, micrometers, go/no-go gauges, optical/laser scanning).”
  • Demonstrate your ability to author specifications and improve quality systems
    — “Author internal specifications, workmanship standards, and work instructions.”
  • Showcase your track record in leading root-cause analysis and corrective actions
    — “Lead nonconformance root-cause analysis and disposition corrective actions.”
  • Emphasize familiarity with aerospace standards such as AS9100 and ISO 9001
    — “Familiarity with aerospace industry standards such as AS9100, ISO 9001, or similar.”
  • Include examples of cleanroom or highly regulated manufacturing experience
    — “Experience in a cleanroom manufacturing environment related to aerospace or engineering, or a highly regulated environment.”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • successful quality program implementation
  • conformance to standards
  • quality improvement
Typical background
quality engineeringaerospace manufacturing

Skills & requirements

Required

InspectionTestingNonconformance ManagementQuality Management SystemProcess ImprovementComplianceData AnalysisCollaborationTrainingSupplier Audits

Preferred

Aerospace ManufacturingSatellite Manufacturing

Stack & domain

Aerospace ManufacturingProductionQuality AssuranceHigh-reliability Spaceflight HardwareInspectionIntegrationTestingSatellitesSub-assembliesComponent-level HardwareGD&TASME Y14.5Dimensional InspectionMechanical Fit ChecksThread InsertsNonconformanceCorrective ActionQuality Management SystemDocumentationInspection RecordsTest ReportsNonconformance ReportsProcess ImprovementNonconformance ManagementAssembly ProcessesIndustry StandardsISO 9001As9100Regulatory RequirementsAerospace And Spacecraft ManufacturingMaterial And Process ConsiderationsSpace EnvironmentOutgassingThermal PropertiesData AnalysisQuality TrendsInternal StandardsInspection CriteriaSupplier AuditsQuality SystemsProcess CapabilityComplianceCommunicationTeamworkLeadershipProblem-solvingDecision-makingProject ManagementTraining

About the role

Original posting from Muon Space via Greenhouse

About the role

Muon seeks a Mechanical Quality Engineer to join our team.  The ideal candidate is a hands-on, seasoned professional passionate about aerospace manufacturing, with a strong commitment to production and quality assurance for high-reliability spaceflight hardware. You will play a key role in developing, implementing, and maintaining our quality programs, ensuring our satellites meet the highest standards of accuracy, reliability, quality, and safety. This is a mechanical-based role: you will own quality across machined parts and mechanical assemblies from incoming inspection through integration and test.

This position is fully onsite and requires working in our San Jose, CA office five days a week.

Responsibilities

Inspection and Testing: Plan, execute, and oversee the inspection, integration, and testing of satellites and their sub-assemblies down to component-level hardware. Verify conformance to internal specifications, engineering drawings, and GD&T per ASME Y14.5. Perform dimensional inspection and mechanical fit checks, apply working knowledge of thread inserts, and support necessary testing.  

Nonconformance & Corrective Action Management: Lead nonconformance root-cause analysis and disposition corrective actions. Develop, maintain, and lead nonconformance and corrective action record tracking systems. Work directly with our in-house machine shop, our Supplier Quality Engineers, and vendors during corrective action investigations. 

Quality Management System & Documentation: Help build out and maintain our Quality Management System, driving continuous improvement as we scale. Author internal specifications, workmanship standards, and work instructions. Interpret, build upon, and comply with the company's quality assurance standards, while developing and implementing new standards for production and design. Document quality assurance activities through internal reporting and audits, and maintain quality control documentation including quality plans, inspection records, test reports, and nonconformance reports.

Process Improvement: Analyze and build upon our inspection, nonconformance management, and assembly processes for our mechanical hardware to identify areas where quality can be improved and drive corrective actions.

Compliance and Standards: Ensure that all processes adhere to industry standards (e.g., ISO 9001, AS9100) and regulatory requirements specific to aerospace and spacecraft manufacturing, including material and process considerations for the space environment such as outgassing and thermal properties. 

Data Analysis: Collect and analyze data from tests, inspections, and audits to monitor quality trends and provide insights to improve product quality, utilizing quality management software or data analysis platforms.

Collaboration and Training: Partner with mechanical and electrical design, manufacturing, and test engineers to resolve quality issues and ensure our mechanical hardware integrates properly with electrical hardware. Provide training and support to team members on GD&T, internal standards, and inspection criteria as well as our systems, policies, procedures, and core processes.

Supplier Audits: Participate in the supplier audit program, including audit planning, execution, and follow-up. Perform on-site and remote audits of current and prospective suppliers to assess quality systems, process capability, and compliance. Work with existing suppliers on identified nonconformances and gaps in their processes. 

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Physics, or a related field.

5+ years experience in Quality Engineering, Quality Assurance, or manufacturing. 

Willingness to travel up to 40% to supplier sites as needed for audits, FAIs, and corrective action support. 

Strong working knowledge of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) and the ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings and specifications. 

Experience with dimensional inspection methods and equipment (calipers, micrometers, go/no-go gauges, optical/laser scanning).

Deep knowledge of quality assurance terminology, methods, and tools.

Demonstrated knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), part & document control, and defect management processes.

Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

Proficiency with data management and reporting software, including MES & PLM. 

Familiarity with aerospace industry standards such as AS9100, ISO 9001, or similar.

Experience in a cleanroom manufacturing environment related to aerospace or engineering, or a highly regulated environment.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Salary

The salary range for this role is $139,000 - $157,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process. 

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave. 

Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too.  Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Muon is currently registered and able to hire in the following states:

AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.

Source: Muon Space careers (Greenhouse)

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