Staff Electrical Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

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  CesiumAstro , 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, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a  Staff Electrical Engineer to our Digital/Mixed-Signal Electronics team. If you enjoy working in a startup environment and are passionate about developing leading-edge electronics for satellites, spacecraft, and aerospace systems, we would like to hear from you.

At the Senior level, you will be tasked with full-stack hardware development for complex modules and small systems. You will have the opportunity to start at concept development and progress through detailed design, analysis, layout, build, test, and delivery, doing hands-on work at each phase. The Senior level also introduces technical leadership opportunities, gaining responsibility for small teams of hardware engineers developing new products and systems.

At a small company and a startup, your work will make direct contributions to the success of the business. The work is challenging and impactful, requiring both breadth and depth of technical knowledge. Our products are made for high-reliability space and airborne applications, so designs require high levels of technical rigor while maintaining the agility of a startup environment.

The successful candidate will also present engineering design review materials to our customers and executive team. As such, excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own end-to-end design of complex electronics modules and small systems, from concept and architecture through schematic, layout, test, and production.
• This role focuses on digital and mixed-signal hardware development for space applications. Product lines include state-of-the-art software-defined radios (SDRs), single-board computers (SBCs), and control & telemetry subsystems for complex phased array antenna payloads.
• Lead small teams of hardware engineers to develop new products with multiple electronics modules.
• Develop hardware architecture and write hardware requirements for systems of moderate complexity.
• Perform detailed and complete schematic design for complex boards, ranging from key components to supporting passives.
• Perform detailed PCB layout in Altium Designer for complex boards, often working with a PCB Designer.
• Complete board-level and box-level analysis such as worst-case circuit analysis, signal integrity analysis, and power integrity analysis, and guide interpretation of results.
• Develop bring-up plans and design verification plans for new hardware and systems.
• Perform bring-up and key verification testing of modules and small integrated systems, often working with a technician to complete validation.
• Release modules and assemblies to production, working with the Manufacturing and Test Engineering teams.
• Mentor junior and senior engineers to build technical understanding and professional development.
• Use working knowledge of adjacent fields, such as software and mechanical, to streamline development of electronics modules and systems.

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Science (BS) degree or higher in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in board-level electronics design, analysis, and test.
• Significant experience designing electronics with rigor, in teams that value thorough analysis and testing. Aerospace design experience preferred but not required.
• Expertise in aspects of digital and mixed-signal electronics, such as signal integrity, implementing FPGAs on boards, ADCs/DACs, and telemetry subsystems. Experience with high-speed digital (e.g. 10+ Gbps SerDes) and SDR applications are preferred but not required.
• Experience owning the design phase of complex board-level electronics, including trade studies, key part selection, and detailed design.
• Experience delivering hardware designs through production and deployment.
• Expertise in PCB layout, including high-density interconnect (HDI) stackup design and high-speed routing.
• Experience running board-level signal integrity and/or power integrity simulation tools such as Ansys SIwave, ADS SIPro, or Mentor Hyperlynx.
• Proven success in debugging, root cause analysis, and design reviews.
• Strong working knowledge of adjacent fields, such as software and mechanical, that guides hardware design and system design.
• Expert-level proficiency in electronics design tools such as Altium.
• Extensive lab experience for bring-up and verification of new hardware.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Experience leading small teams of hardware engineers to develop multi-module assemblies, including hardware architecture, requirements, make/buy decisions, and interconnects.
• Expertise in high-speed digital electronics (e.g. 10+ Gbps SerDes), including signal integrity simulation and lab verification, SerDes optimization (e.g. emphasis and drive level), and high-speed interconnect solutions.
• Expertise in software-defined radio (SDR) applications.
• Direct experience designing high-reliability electronics for space or defense applications, including part derating, worst-case analysis, and thermal constraints.
• Design for space radiation environments.

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.  Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.  

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.