K2 Space
Principal Automation & Controls Engineer
$175K–$200K
Los Angeles, CA +1 · Principal · Full-time · Posted May 4, 2026
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles - Experience
- 4+ years in a high-volume manufacturing, production, or hands-on engineering environment; 6+ years in industrial automation and controls in a production environment, including full-stack ownership.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, aerospace, materials, or another relevant engineering discipline.
- Visa sponsorship
- Must be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.
About the job
Leads production automation and controls strategy, developing and scaling systems that support high-rate satellite manufacturing.
What you'll do
- Own the production automation roadmap and set standards, requirements, and design processes.
- Design, build, activate, and qualify production tooling and automation across machine design, robotics, computer vision, HMI, and PLC systems.
- Improve production takt rate and first-pass yield; mentor junior engineers.
What they ask for
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, aerospace, materials, or another relevant engineering discipline.
- 4+ years of experience in a high-volume manufacturing, production, or hands-on engineering environment.
- 6+ years of experience in industrial automation and controls in a production environment, including full-stack ownership.
- Hands-on hardware aptitude; in-depth knowledge of precision assembly and electromechanical fabrication; ability to generate and review engineering drawings, schematics, and technical documentation.
Nice to have
- Experience in space, defense, or other high-reliability manufacturing environments.
- Familiarity with CAD software (NX or equivalent) and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
Pay
$175,000 – $200,000 USD base salary
Tools
PLC, HMI, Robotics, computer vision, NX, GD&T
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative