Principal Avionics Hardware Engineer
Location: Los Angeles, CA (Onsite)
Contract, Contract-to-Hire, or Direct Hire
Compensation: $200k to $275K
Position Summary
Our client is seeking a Principal Spacecraft Avionics Hardware Development Engineer to architect, design, and own flight-critical electrical hardware supporting satellite buses, reentry vehicles, and customer payloads. This individual will lead avionics hardware development from concept through production, environmental qualification, system integration, and flight operations support within a highly demanding spaceflight environment.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline.
- 8+ years of electronics hardware design experience within aerospace, automotive, defense, or other high-reliability industries.
- 3+ years of direct spacecraft or spaceflight hardware experience.
- Experience owning complex electronics systems from design through production.
- Proven ownership of complex electronic systems from architecture through production deployment.
- Advanced PCB design expertise including:
- High-speed digital design
- Signal integrity
- Power distribution
- Grounding strategies
- EMI/EMC mitigation
- Experience with PCB fabrication, assembly, and manufacturing processes.
- Expert-level proficiency with Altium Designer and/or KiCad.
- Strong laboratory debugging and test experience using oscilloscopes, power supplies, function generators, and DMMs.
- Programming experience with Python, MATLAB, or equivalent scripting tools.
- Experience implementing hardware communication interfaces including:
- SPI
- RS-422
- 1000BASE-T Ethernet
- Strong analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuit design experience.
- Power electronics experience including DC-DC converters and load switch design.
- Knowledge of aerospace sensors and actuators such as:
- RTDs
- Pressure transducers
- Brushless motors
- Solenoid valves
- Thermocouples
- Stepper motors
- Rotary and linear encoders
Key Responsibilities
- Design and develop avionics hardware at the PCB level, including schematic capture, layout, bring-up, validation, manufacturing, and production support.
- Define subsystem requirements based on mission and vehicle-level objectives.
- Lead avionics architecture development for next-generation spacecraft and reentry systems.
- Own qualification and acceptance testing including vibration, shock, thermal, EMI/EMC, and TVAC testing.
- Collaborate with GNC, structures, thermal, software, mission operations, payload, and integration teams.
- Support root-cause investigations and implement corrective actions for flight hardware anomalies.
- Develop electrical engineering standards, processes, and best practices.
- Provide system-level integration support and operational guidance for flight hardware.
- Mentor junior and mid-level electrical engineers.
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