Function

Operations

Seniority

Junior

Workplace

On-site

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Compensation

$100K – $140K

Specialty

Manufacturing Smt

Job Description

<div class="content-intro">K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit.&nbsp;Backed by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciapark/2025/12/11/this-startup-is-building-huge-satellites-for-an-underused-interstellar-sweet-spot/?ctpv=searchpage">$450M</a> from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.&nbsp;
The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.&nbsp;
With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization.&nbsp;If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.&nbsp;</div>The Role&nbsp;
You’ll&nbsp;be at the heart of bringing flight hardware to life.&nbsp;You will&nbsp;own&nbsp;Surface Mount Technology (SMT) equipment&nbsp;and processes,&nbsp;working closely with&nbsp;production teams&nbsp;to support&nbsp;development and production of the K2 Mega-class satellite.&nbsp;You will shape build processes and solve hands-on manufacturing challenges in real&nbsp;time,&nbsp;and your work will directly&nbsp;impact&nbsp;the performance and reliability of hardware destined for space.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This role is built for someone who learns quickly, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and wants to take ownership early.&nbsp;You’ll&nbsp;develop deep technical intuition, contribute to systems that scale, and grow into increasingly complex challenges as we push towards higher-rate production in an environment unlike anywhere else.&nbsp;
Responsibilities&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Develop, support, and continuously improve SMT assembly equipment and processes, including but not limited&nbsp;to:&nbsp;pick-and-place machines, reflow ovens, solder paste printers, solder paste inspection (SPI), automated optical inspection (AOI), X-ray, conformal coating systems, epoxy/adhesive dispensers, and lamination equipment&nbsp;</li>
<li>Develop and&nbsp;optimize&nbsp;reflow profiles, stencil designs, and solder paste processes to achieve high&nbsp;first-pass&nbsp;yield on complex, high-reliability assemblies&nbsp;</li>
<li>Program,&nbsp;operate, and troubleshoot automated SMT equipment, including placement programs, feeder setups, and vision/inspection systems&nbsp;</li>
<li>Work closely with Quality and Production teams to&nbsp;maintain&nbsp;build cadence and ensure hardware meets acceptance criteria.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Create and&nbsp;maintain&nbsp;work instructions, assembly procedures, and process documentation, and capture as-built records and traceability through the MES&nbsp;</li>
<li>Develop inspection criteria and methods for&nbsp;assemblies for&nbsp;non-conformances.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Develop&nbsp;functional tests&nbsp;of components and assemblies&nbsp;</li>
<li>Monitor process performance (yield, defect trends, SPC) and provide consistent process improvement feedback to engineering and production leadership&nbsp;</li>
<li>Support tooling inspection, maintenance, and readiness activities for solar manufacturing operations&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Qualifications&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, aerospace,&nbsp;materials&nbsp;or other relevant engineering discipline&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>2+ years of experience in a high-volume manufacturing, production, or hands-on engineering environment&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Strong hands-on aptitude and willingness to work directly with hardware on the production floor&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Exposure to precision assembly or electromechanical integration processes&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Ability to read engineering drawings, schematics, and technical documentation&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Experience setting up a manufacturing/production floor for first article builds&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Nice to Have&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Hand soldering ability and PCB rework experience&nbsp;</li>
<li>Ability to read, review, and redline electrical schematics and mechanical drawings&nbsp;</li>
<li>Experience performing crimping, wire stripping, continuity testing&nbsp;</li>
<li>Experience using test and measuring tools (digital multimeter, oscilloscopes, calipers)&nbsp;</li>
<li>Experience with various potting and epoxies&nbsp;</li>
<li>Strong communication&nbsp;skills with ability to communicate hardware and systems problems&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Additional Requirements&nbsp;
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Must be able to stand for extended periods of time&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Must be able to lift and carry parts or equipment up to&nbsp;50&nbsp;lbs.&nbsp;Unassisted&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Compensation and Benefits:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Base salary range for this role is $100,000 – $140,000 + equity in the company&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited&nbsp;to:&nbsp;knowledge and skills, education, and experience level&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision/ coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other&nbsp;perks&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul><div class="content-conclusion">If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!
If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
Export Compliance
As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”
The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by&nbsp;<a class="c-link" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/22/120.15" target="_blank">22 C.F.R. § 120.15</a> or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.
Equal Opportunity
K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.</div>

Audit details(provenance, verification trail, raw fields)

Core fields

Posting ID

k2-space:5293270008

Title

SMT Manufacturing Engineer

Function

Operations

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Workplace mode

unspecified

Posted at

2026-07-06 16:19:50Z

Compensation

$100K – $140K

Provenance

First seen (our tracker)

2026-07-21 19:40:43Z

Last seen

2026-07-26 06:34:41Z

Last updated

2026-07-26 06:34:41Z

Removed at

still open

Days open

Open for 19 days (and counting)

ATS adapter

greenhouse

ATS slug

k2spacecorporation

Source URL

https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/k2spacecorporation/jobs/5293270008

Verification trail

This posting hasn't been probed by our closure verifier yet. Stream C runs on a rolling schedule against postings approaching the close-decision threshold.

LLM enrichment

Enriched at 2026-07-22 04:23:56Z. Enrichment runs once per posting, never re-runs.

Seniority

ic_l2

Role archetype

engineering

Specialty

manufacturing_smt

Workplace mode

unknown

City (normalized)

—

Country (normalized)

—

Comp range

—

Tech stack

—

Novel role archetype?

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Key details

Job Description

Core fields

Provenance

Verification trail

LLM enrichment