Senior Electrical Engineer, Avionics
$145,000–$180,000 year
On-siteBroomfield, Colorado, United States
Job Summary
Own flight avionics architecture and detailed electrical design for upgrade modules from concept through qualification, integration, launch, and on-orbit operations. Design spacecraft electronics including processor/compute boards, power conversion interfaces, and sensor/actuator connections; develop schematics, component selections, and grounding approaches while partnering with PCB layout and manufacturing teams. Drive avionics integration across flight software, GNC, and propulsion systems, resolving electrical and data-interface issues. Plan and execute board bring-up, functional testing, environmental qualification, and EMI/EMC testing; lead anomaly investigations and root-cause closure. Perform worst-case circuit analysis, signal integrity reviews, and radiation-informed part selection. Create engineering documentation and technical baselines for design reviews and flight readiness decisions.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- 5-8 years of experience designing and delivering complex electrical or avionics hardware for spacecraft, aerospace, defense, robotics, or other mission-critical systems.
- Demonstrated ownership of avionics or embedded electronics from architecture and schematic design through bring-up, integration, verification, and qualification.
- Strong fundamentals in analog and digital circuit design, embedded processors/FPGAs, power electronics interfaces, high-speed/serial communications, and hardware debugging.
- Hands-on proficiency with laboratory equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, power supplies, electronic loads, and data acquisition equipment.
- Strong technical communication skills and the ability to work effectively across hardware, software, systems, manufacturing, and program teams.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment where ownership, initiative, and sound engineering judgment are essential.
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience developing spacecraft avionics through flight qualification and operational deployment.
- Experience with radiation effects, component derating, reliability, fault tolerance, redundancy, and single-event-effect mitigation for space electronics.
- Experience with common spacecraft interfaces and buses such as CAN, SpaceWire, RS-422/485, Ethernet, SPI, I2C, UART, and discrete I/O.
- Experience with EMI/EMC design and test, grounding/bonding, harness/interface design, and spacecraft electrical integration.
- Experience with ECAD tools and configuration-controlled release processes; familiarity with PCB layout constraints, manufacturing, and acceptance testing.
- Experience leading or supporting major reviews such as PDR, CDR, TRR, and FRR.
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