Lead Flight Electronics & Avionics Electrical Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.  

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo,  we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on.  Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a 'one-to-many' system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.  

What You'll Do:  

As Lead Flight Electronics & Avionics Electrical Engineer, you will lead the design, development, integration, and testing of flight-critical electrical systems for launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will guide the electrical engineering team and collaborate across mechanical, software, GNC, propulsion, and systems engineering to take hardware from concept through flight.

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead electrical engineering design efforts and provide technical guidance to the team.
• Design flight electronics, avionics, power distribution systems, and vehicle electrical architectures.
• Develop schematics, PCBs, cable harnesses, grounding strategies, and electrical interfaces.
• Define electrical requirements and interface specifications for vehicle systems and payloads.
• Perform component selection, electrical analysis, worst-case analysis, and reliability assessments.
• Lead hardware bring-up, debugging, troubleshooting, and qualification testing.
• Develop and execute test plans for subsystem and integrated vehicle testing.
• Support environmental testing, vehicle integration, launch campaigns, and anomaly investigations.

What It Takes:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of professional electrical engineering experience.
• Experience designing complex electrical systems for spacecraft or payloads.
• Strong knowledge of analog and digital circuit design.
• Experience with schematic capture and PCB design tools.
• Experience troubleshooting electrical hardware in laboratory and test environments.
• Ability to create electrical drawings, interface-control documents, and test procedures.
• Ability to guide other engineers while remaining hands-on with detailed design.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance. 

What We'd Love:

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 9+ years of professional electrical engineering experience.
• Experience with launch vehicles, spacecraft, satellites, missile systems, or flight hardware.
• Experience with avionics, power electronics, battery systems, or power distribution.
• Experience with CAN, Ethernet, RS-422, RS-485, SPI, I2C, or UART.
• Experience with FPGA-based systems, embedded processors, or flight computers.
• Knowledge of EMI/EMC practices and environmental qualification testing.

Where You'll Be:

• The position will be on-site at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA.  

What We Offer:   

• Competitive Base Salary + Equity-Based Compensation
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 3.5% company match
• Highly Competitive PTO
• Paid company holidays + winter break 
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Unique Performance-Based Bonus Structure

ITAR Requirements:   
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here 

Equal Employment Opportunity:  
Space Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. 

The annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.  

Pay Range

$160,000—$200,000 USD