Senior 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 a Senior Flight Electronics & Avionics Electrical Engineer, you will own the design, development, integration, and testing of flight-critical electrical systems for launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will work closely with mechanical, software, GNC, propulsion, and systems engineers to develop hardware that performs reliably in some of the most demanding environments imaginable.

• Design, develop, and validate flight electronics, avionics, power distribution systems, and vehicle electrical architectures.
• Develop schematics, PCB designs, cable harnesses, grounding strategies, and electrical interfaces for launch vehicle subsystems.
• Define electrical requirements and interface specifications for vehicle systems and payload integrations.
• Support architecture development for vehicle power systems, telemetry, command and control systems, sensors, actuators, and flight computers.
• Perform component selection, electrical analyses, worst-case analyses, and reliability assessments.
• Support hardware bring-up, debugging, troubleshooting, and qualification testing.
• Develop and execute electrical test plans for subsystem and integrated vehicle testing.
• Work closely with flight software and GNC teams to integrate sensors, controllers, and avionics hardware.
• Support environmental testing including vibration, thermal vacuum, EMI/EMC, and system-level qualification campaigns.
• Participate in launch campaigns, vehicle integration activities, and anomaly investigations.
• Drive hardware from concept through flight, including rapid design iterations and hands-on testing.

What It Takes:

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of professional electrical engineering experience.
• Experience designing complex electrical systems for aerospace, defense, spacecraft, launch vehicles, aircraft, robotics, or other high-reliability applications.
• Strong understanding 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 read and create electrical drawings, interface control documents, and test procedures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 9+ years of professional electrical engineering experience.
• Experience with launch vehicles, spacecraft, satellites, missile systems, or aerospace flight hardware.
• Experience with power electronics, battery systems, and power distribution architectures.
• Experience designing avionics and flight electronics.
• Experience with communication protocols such as CAN, Ethernet, RS-422, RS-485, SPI, I2C, and UART.
• Experience with FPGA-based systems, embedded processors, or flight computers.
• Knowledge of EMI/EMC design practices and qualification testing.
• Experience with environmental testing including vibration, shock, thermal, and vacuum testing.
• Familiarity with aerospace standards and high-reliability design methodologies.
• Experience working in fast-paced development environments where hardware is rapidly designed, tested, and iterated.
• 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).
• Ability to maintain or obtain a Government Security Clearance.

What You'll Bring

• Strong technical judgment and engineering fundamentals.
• A hands-on approach to problem solving.
• Ability to work across multiple disciplines and drive issues to closure.
• Comfort operating in an environment with ambitious schedules and challenging technical goals.
• A desire to see hardware through the full lifecycle—from concept and design to launch and flight operations.

*Our vision is unique, and so is the team we're building. If you're driven to succeed in this role, even if your background doesn't fully align with every qualification, we want your application.

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
• Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar
• 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