Associate Mechanical Engineering Manager – Communication Systems

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At Cesium Astro , we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, Cesium Astro is the place for you.

We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

The Skylark product line is focused on the rapid design, build, and test of cutting-edge active phased array antennas (AESA) for terrestrial and airborne applications. Current programs span high-power, large-scale ground terminals for missile defense to commercial airline and helicopter connectivity solutions.

We are actively seeking a passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking Associate Mechanical Engineering Manager to join our Communication Systems business in Westminster, Colorado.

In this role, you will provide functional leadership for a team of Mechanical Engineers supporting the development of airborne, maritime, and ground-based phased array communication systems. You will be responsible for developing engineers, supporting resource planning, improving engineering processes, and ensuring successful execution across multiple product and customer programs.

Working closely with Program Managers, Responsible Engineers, Systems Engineers, and fellow Functional Managers, you will help ensure the Mechanical Engineering organization delivers high-quality technical work while continuously improving people, processes, and tools. In addition to your management responsibilities, you will remain an active technical contributor on critical product developments, leading mechanical design efforts and mentoring engineers through the full product lifecycle.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience designing ruggedized electronics packaging and mechanical systems for aerospace, defense, or communications applications and enjoys mentoring engineers while remaining hands‑on in the development of production hardware.

• Lead and develop a team of Mechanical Engineers, fostering a collaborative, innovative, and high-performing engineering culture.
• Provide coaching, mentorship, performance feedback, and career development for team members.
• Support staffing, hiring, onboarding, and resource allocation across programs and IRAD efforts.
• Partner with program leadership to ensure mechanical engineering activities are executed successfully while meeting technical, cost, and schedule objectives.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve mechanical engineering processes, standards, tools, and best practices.
• Promote technical excellence through design reviews, engineering guidance, and mentorship.
• Serve as a senior technical contributor for ruggedized electronics packaging, phased array antenna systems, and communication hardware.
• Lead or support concept development, mechanical architecture, detailed design, structural and thermal analysis, manufacturing, integration, environmental qualification, and production transition activities.
• Support proposal development, customer technical discussions, and design reviews.
• Foster collaboration across Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, RF, Manufacturing,…