Mechanical, Thermal, Structural, Optical Systems Engineer

Mechanical, Thermal, Structural, Optical Systems Engineer
Senior Level | Westminster, CO | $100,000 - $140,000 | Clearance: Secret with ability to obtain SAP

Serve as the primary systems engineering liaison between the physical design teams and program leadership, ensuring mechanical, thermal, structural, and optical subsystem designs are successfully integrated into the overall system architecture. Lead the translation of physical hardware characteristics into actionable systems engineering artifacts while maintaining technical baseline integrity, interface compliance, and mission performance throughout development, integration, and delivery.
A Day in the Life - What you'll do

• Serve as the technical bridge between mechanical, thermal, structural, and optical engineering teams and the Helios systems engineering organization.
  
• Ensure physical subsystem designs remain aligned with system-level requirements, mission objectives, and host integration constraints.
  
• Manage the physical characteristics of the Level 3 subsystem, including mass properties, center-of-gravity considerations, mechanical envelopes, thermal operating limits, structural constraints, and optical stability requirements.
  
• Collaborate with design engineers to evaluate the impact of hardware decisions on system performance, integration, verification, and operational effectiveness.
  
• Define, document, and manage mechanical, thermal, structural, and optical interfaces between subsystem components and the host platform.
  
• Support architecture development, requirements decomposition, and allocation activities related to physical subsystem performance and integration.
  
• Translate hardware constraints, engineering analyses, and physical design characteristics into system-level engineering artifacts and technical baselines.
  
• Participate in trade studies evaluating design alternatives, integration approaches, and performance impacts across multiple engineering disciplines.
  
• Support integration, test, verification, and validation activities to ensure physical subsystem requirements are satisfied and properly documented.
  
• Monitor technical risks associated with mechanical, thermal, structural, and optical performance and develop mitigation strategies to support program success.
  
• Participate in technical reviews, design reviews, interface control working groups, and customer-facing engineering discussions.
  
• Coordinate closely with systems, software, electrical, manufacturing, integration, and test teams to ensure seamless cross-disciplinary execution.
  
• Assist in maintaining traceability between physical design requirements, engineering analyses, verification methods, and delivered system capabilities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Optical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Structural Engineering, Physics, or another STEM discipline from an accredited institution.
  
• 8+ years of engineering experience supporting complex aerospace, defense, space, optical, or advanced technology programs.
  
• Experience supporting mechanical, thermal, structural, optical, or integrated hardware systems within a systems engineering environment.
  
• Demonstrated experience serving as a technical liaison between hardware design teams and broader systems engineering organizations.
  
• Experience managing physical subsystem characteristics including mechanical interfaces, mass properties, thermal performance, structural considerations, and environmental constraints.
  
• Experience defining, documenting, and managing subsystem-to-system interfaces within complex engineering programs.
  
• Strong understanding of systems engineering lifecycle processes including requirements development, architecture definition, integration, verification, validation, and risk management.
  
• Experience translating physical hardware constraints and engineering analyses into system-level requirements and technical artifacts.
  
• Ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary engineering teams supporting highly integrated technical systems.
  
• Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
  
• Ability to support technical reviews, customer interactions, and engineering decision-making activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies and system modeling tools.
  
• Experience using Cameo Systems Modeler, SysML, or similar MBSE platforms.
  
• Experience supporting spacecraft, satellite payloads, optical payloads, missile defense systems, aerospace platforms, or other mission-critical hardware systems.
  
• Knowledge of thermal analysis, structural analysis, optical performance analysis, or related engineering disciplines.
  
• Experience supporting hardware integration, environmental testing, qualification testing, and verification activities.
  
• Familiarity with requirements management tools such as Jama Connect.
  
• Experience supporting host platform integration and interface management activities.
  
• Experience participating in design reviews, interface control boards, and technical baseline management activities.
  
• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Optical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
  
• INCOSE certification or advanced Systems Engineering training.

Who is Caribou Thunder?

Caribou Thunder is a HUBZone-certified small business providing advanced technical and engineering services to the U.S. Department of War and its mission partners.

35+ states and 20+ countries. We've delivered trusted solutions for over two decades - strengthening national readiness across missions on land, undersea, in the air, and throughout LEO, MEO, GEO, and deep space.
Why Caribou Thunder? TEAM THUNDER - Mission Focused. Delivery Proven. Ready to Serve.

Employee Advocacy
Mission Proven
Global Reach
Skilled Teams
Modern Tools
Empowering Culture

Our engineers and innovators ensure capability from sea floor to space frontier - delivering on time, maintaining compliance, and performing with precision in high-consequence environments.

We specialize in Engineering Services, Cybersecurity, Software Development, Modeling & Simulation, Digital Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence - disciplines powering the nation's most complex technical missions.
Employee Advocacy + Benefits

Our people are the heart of Caribou Thunder. We invest in their growth, flexibility, and well-being - knowing their success drives ours.

Benefits include:

• Premium Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
  
• 401(k) with 6% Company Match
  
• Flexible PTO & Work Schedule
  
• Education & Certification Reimbursement
  
• Support for Military Leave
  
• Work-Life Balance & Traditional Family Values

Your future, your flexibility, your well-being - we invest in you. Apply and let's connect.