Principal PCB Designer

Job Description

Job Description

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we'd love for you to apply.

The Role

You'll work closely with Electrical Engineers to design critical electronics across all K2 Space satellites, ranging from kW-scale power converters to high-performance flight computers. You'll be responsible for driving the creation of foundational engineering processes for electrical design, including design for manufacture (DFM), design for test (DFT), and library management. In your first six months, you will complete design of your first PCBAs to be tested and integrated in flight hardware. In your first year you will expand your work to develop the tools to support multiple flight designs. In your first two years you will have flown your electronics in space and developed processes that inform K2 Space designs for novel satellite architectures.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the subject matter expert for PCB layout and design stack-ups for power, analog, digital, and RF printed circuit boards
• Develop library part creation and maintenance best practices
• Architect design for test and manufacture guidelines for circuit board designs in collaboration with internal teams and manufacturers

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering AND/OR 10+ years of professional experience in PCB Layout
• Experience designing and testing electronics PCBAs in a fast-paced environment

Nice to Have

• Experience with Altium Designer
• Experience with relevant industry standards and specifications such as IPC-6012 and J-STD-001
• Expertise in full-cycle PCB design and manufacture, floor planning, power integrity, signal integrity, material selection, and through-hole and surface mount assembly techniques
• Experience with high-speed digital layout of microprocessor, FPGA, and DRAM designs, impedance control, and transmission lines
• Experience with kW scale power converter PCB layout, including both isolated and non-isolated topologies
• Experience with high voltage design, multi-gigabit SerDes design and clock distribution
• Familiarity with standard interfaces such as Ethernet, SPI, I2C, and PCIe
• Experience with EMC and EMI mitigation
• Experience with high-density BGA fanout and routing
• Experience with PCB array design and manufacturing documentation
• Experience with scripting and automation for internal PCB design tool development

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base salary range for this role is $150,000 - $200,000 + equity in the company
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
• Comprehensive benefits package including unlimited paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you don't meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, "U.S. Persons" include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a "U.S. Person."

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a "U.S. person" as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.