Mechanical Engineer

Dispatch Technologies, Inc. develops enterprise software. The Company connects people, process, and data, as well as offers network and consumer engagement management services. Dispatch Technologies serves customers in…

Location: San Francisco, CA
Company size: 10–500
Posted: 3w ago
Via: Yc

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Job listing · Updated 22 AUG 2026

Mechanical Engineer

Dispatch· San Francisco, CA, USView company profile

Job title: Mechanical Engineer
Job location: San Francisco, CA, US
Job listing URL: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/dispatch/jobs/7NBJCKG-mechanical-engineer
Job description: **About The Role** You'll be our first mechanical engineer for Dispatch’s reusable reentry vehicles designed for mass manufacturing and the person responsible for turning a heat shield and avionics stack into a flying spacecraft. This is a founding role - you'll own the structural design, mechanisms, and integration of our reentry vehicle from CAD to qualification testing to launch. At our stage, this means you're doing the analysis and the hands-on build. You'll work directly with both founders on a daily basis. Both founders are ex-Astranis - Andrew led the avionics team, Payton was chief engineer on their next-gen satellite line. **Responsibilities** \- Design the primary vehicle structure (load paths, interfaces, payload volume) \- Own mechanical systems: deployment mechanisms, recovery/parachute systems, payload integration hardware \- Run structural analysis (FEA) for launch and reentry load environments \- Produce engineering drawings with GD&T for fabricated and machined parts \- Build and test prototype hardware \- Support environmental qualification testing (vibration, thermal vacuum) **Required Qualifications** \- 3+ years designing and building flight hardware (spacecraft, launch vehicles, hypersonics, or missiles) \- Strong mechanical design skills: structures, mechanisms, packaging in constrained volumes \- Proficiency in CAD (SOLIDWORKS or similar) and FEA tools (Femap or similar) \- Hands-on prototyping experience - you've machined, assembled, and tested your own designs \- Comfortable working across disciplines at an early-stage company **Nice to Have** \- Experience with reentry vehicles, capsule structures, or high-load environments \- Recovery system design (parachutes, airbags, flotation) \- Familiarity with rideshare mechanical interface standards (ESPA, Exolaunch deployers) \- Thermal protection system integration experience

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