Senior Avionics System Engineer

Posting/External Job Title

Senior Avionics System Engineer

Location

TX 78613 US (Primary)

Remote/Onsite/Hybrid

100% Onsite

Job Type

Full-time

# of Hires Needed

3

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Travel

None

Security Clearance Required

None

Pay Range (All offers will be based on experience)

$130,000.00 - $180,000.00/yr

Position Introduction/Key Duties

Cimarron is seeking a Senior Avionics System Engineer to support our partnership with a commercial aerospace company at their rocket production facility in Cedar Park, TX.

Through this partnership, Cimarron supplies skilled technical talent in support of our customer's advanced launch and space systems. This customer designs and builds small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles for government and commercial missions from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Together, our teams leverage advanced carbon composite structures, patented propulsion technologies, and common components across platforms to move fast, improve reliability, and deliver payloads at a lower cost.

Key Duties:

• Own the entire process of designing the electrical architecture, testing and integrating avionics components onto the spacecraft.
• Support assembly, integration, and test (AIT), launch integration, and on-orbit operations.
• Intuitively understand the intention behind design decisions, and direct assembly and test operations based on those intentions.
• Write and execute vehicle assembly procedures and electrical system functional validation processes.
• Lead high-level, functional design and development of avionics systems for the current and future spacecraft.
• Develop design verification, qualification, and acceptance test plans, and coordinate with the other avionics and manufacturing engineers and technicians to execute.
• Recommend spacecraft function and reliability upgrades based on experience.
• Requirement writing and verification for spacecraft avionics.
• Develop new features and functionality as part of the design team for our common avionics platform used across launch vehicles and spacecraft applications.
• Participate in technical trade studies, requirement capture, conceptual and detail design activities for new and existing designs.
• Create and own schematic capture and PCB layout activities, rapid prototyping, EEE component selection, and execute electrical simulations and analyses to support flight, qualification, and test lab PCB assemblies.
• Work with experts across teams and departments (systems, mechanical, software, test engineering) to develop tightly integrated, high-performance hardware.
• Understand and implement aerospace guidelines for development and design of electronic assemblies.

Required/Desired Skills, Experience, and Education

Required Skills, Experience, and Education:

• Due to facility security requirements, only U.S. citizens or permanent residentsare eligible for consideration at this time.
• 7 or more years of experience working with aerospace component development, testing, integration, or operations.
• 5 or more years of experience in electrical engineering in both analog and digital circuit design, including usage of test equipment such as logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, signal generators, electronic loads, multimeters, and interpreting electrical schematics.
• Experience performing trade studies and sensitivity studies to select the best architecture option.
• 3 or more years of hands‑on experience with prototyping circuits and testing.
• 5 or more years of PCB design, hardware systems design, and/or integration experience.
• Skilled in schematic capture and digital, analog, and power circuit PCB layout.
• Competent at end‑to‑end definition, requirement generation, block‑diagram design, component selection and circuit simulations.
• Strong electrical troubleshooting experience with the ability to drive problems to root‑cause and closure.
• Experience with the usage of test equipment to verify component and circuit function.
• Requirement writing and verification experience.
• Experience in technical writing, proper documentation, and SOP creations.
• Proactive, self‑starting mentality with the ability to identify tasks and resources needed to meet objectives.
• Experience with Python
• Strong electrical troubleshooting experience with the ability to drive problems to root‑cause and closure.
• Lead and mentor the team responsible for the development of design concepts and architectures to support Firefly’s current and future spacecraft.
• Outstanding leadership abilities with small teams, and the ability to clearly communicate with engineers and technicians.
• Excellent organizational skills, and experience working with vendors.
• Ability to work well with others, be proactive, and execute with minimal guidance.
• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Desired Skills, Experience, and Education:

• Experience with spacecraft avionics systems design, development, production, test, and operations.
• Experience with Power engineering, design, budgeting, and test.
• Experience in software engineering, especially C, C++, Python, and Labview.
• Experience with project planning, subcontractor management, and other project management skills.
• Experience in industry standard root cause corrective analysis techniques, such as fault tree and fishbone analysis.
• Experience in PCB and Hardware design.
• Experience in the V-model design methodology.
• Experience in Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) / Fault Tree / Fishbone root‑cause methodology.
• Experience in GND and Bonding design of spacecraft.
• Experience with environmental analysis and testing, including thermal cycling, thermal vacuum, shock, and vibration.
• Familiar with NASA GEVS or SMC-016 environmental testing.
• Familiar with MIL-STD461 EMC Testing.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with other engineering disciplines and regulatory authorities.
• Experience developing and testing complex electronic systems combining hardware, firmware, and software.
• Experience using Altium (or similar tools) to design complex aerospace boards.
• Understanding of design for space radiation environments and its effects on electronic components.
• Experience working with a variety of sensor types and their associated analog and digital interfaces.

Business Profile:

Cimarron is a global solutions company with a strategic partnering approach to satisfying customer-driven requirements. We ensure customer success with a modern approach and experienced leadership. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Cimarron is fueled by highly skilled employees, developing new innovative technologies, and delivering superior products and services. We believe in recognizing employees' worth by offering competitive salaries and benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) contributions, educational reimbursement, and much more. From company communication through Company-wide information meetings led by our President and CEO, to an Awards program designed to recognize our amazing employees and their accomplishments, you will not only feel like you are a part of a team, you will be a valued member of the Cimarron family. Cimarron is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Resumes should list employment dates in month/year format (e.g., January 2020 – March 2024) for each position to meet customer and contract documentation requirements.

Cimarron offers an outstanding Benefits Package including:

• Major Medical and Hospitalization
• Vision Care
• Preventive Care
• Ancillary Benefits
  • Life Insurance and AD&D
  • Short-Term Disability Insurance
  • Voluntary Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Voluntary Additional Life and Dependent Life Insurance
• 401(k) with Company Matching
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Direct Deposit
• Other Benefits
  • Paid Time Off (PTO) and Holiday Leave
  • Education Reimbursement
  • Wellness Program

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