Spacecraft Electrical Engineer
We are seeking a Spacecraft Electrical Engineer responsible for the design, integration, and validation of spacecraft electrical subsystems across the full lifecycle—from architecture and schematic capture to board bring-up, harnessing, and environmental testing support. This role is highly hands-on and requires strong practical troubleshooting skills, cleanroom discipline, and experience supporting Assembly, Integration, and Test activities.
You will collaborate within a multi-disciplinary engineering team, working closely with hardware, RF, embedded software, AIT, and systems engineering teams to deliver flight-ready electrical designs and ensure reliable spacecraft performance.
Responsibilities
Electrical System Design
• Perform electrical design for spacecraft subsystems including avionics, payload interfaces, power systems, batteries, solar arrays, and harnessing.
• Create and maintain electrical schematics, parts selection, and layout guidance for spacecraft electronics.
• Design and validate spacecraft harnessing solutions including cable selection, shielding strategies, connector selection, and routing constraints.
• Perform analysis to demonstrate performance, survivability, and optimization of electrical designs.
• Evaluate and select COTS spacecraft subsystems (e.g., EPS, OBC, AOCS) and ensure compatibility with mission architecture.
RF & Digital Systems Integration
• Understand and support spacecraft RF systems including S-band transceivers and X-band transmitters.
• Design and debug digital communication interfaces and buses.
• Apply strong signal integrity principles including impedance matching, transmission line effects, and high-speed routing constraints.
• Understand cable impedance requirements and interface specifications for digital communication systems.
Test, Debug & Board Bring-Up
• Perform board bring-up and hardware validation in collaboration with embedded software teams.
• Debug electrical issues using lab instrumentation including:
• Oscilloscope
• Signal analyzer
• Spectrum analyzer
• Vector Network Analyzer (VNA)
• Troubleshoot data buses and electrical interfaces using measurement equipment and systematic debugging approaches.
• Support JTAG-based debugging and low-level hardware diagnostics.
• Conduct quality inspection and functional testing of received boards and subsystems.
EMI/EMC, Grounding & Thermal Design
• Apply strong understanding of EMI/EMC mitigation techniques in spacecraft electrical design.
• Design grounding strategies considering ground loops, DC grounds, and RF grounding architectures.
• Incorporate thermal design and derating requirements into electrical system design.
• Support cable shielding, filtering, and layout strategies to ensure electromagnetic compatibility.
AIT & Environmental Testing Support
• Support spacecraft AIT activities, including cleanroom assembly, integration, and verification procedures.
• Participate in and operate during environmental test campaigns such as thermal cycling, TVAC, and vibration testing.
• Support test setup design, instrumentation, and troubleshooting during qualification and acceptance tests.
Documentation & Collaboration
• Produce and maintain high-quality technical documentation including schematics, harness drawings, test procedures, and interface documentation.
• Collaborate closely with systems, RF, embedded software, AIT, and mechanical teams throughout development and integration phases.
• Participate in design reviews, risk assessments, and technical trade studies.
Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years of professional electrical engineering experience involving hardware design and integration.
• Strong hands-on skills including soldering, board rework, and hardware troubleshooting.
• Proficiency using electrical measurement equipment (oscilloscope, signal analyzer, spectrum analyzer, VNA).
• Experience designing electrical schematics and spacecraft harnessing solutions.
• Understanding of digital communication standards and interface debugging.
• Knowledge of signal integrity, impedance control, and transmission line effects.
• Strong understanding of EMI/EMC, grounding strategies, and noise mitigation.
• Understanding of thermal design considerations and component derating.
• Experience performing board bring-up and integration with software teams.
• Familiarity with JTAG debugging and hardware validation workflows.
• Strong technical documentation and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in the space industry, particularly with small satellite or CubeSat electrical systems.
• Experience working in cleanroom and AIT environments.
• Experience supporting environmental testing campaigns (thermal, TVAC, vibration).
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810G or similar environmental qualification standards.
• Experience selecting and integrating COTS spacecraft subsystems (EPS, OBC, AOCS).
• Experience with spacecraft RF subsystem integration and testing workflows.
• Familiarity with spacecraft power system architectures and battery/solar integration.
• Experience with failure analysis and root cause investigations during test campaigns.
• Exposure to high-reliability or aerospace-grade electronics development environments.
Benefits
• Competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance and fuel support.
• Continued support for candidates currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program.
• Opportunities for continuous professional growth and skill development.
• Engage in a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Enjoy a positive and enriching work environment, situated in a desirable location.
