Principal Staff Engineer

Principal Staff Engineer

Austin, TX

Engineering - Engineering /

Full-time /

On-site

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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 Principal Staff Engineer to our team. In this position, you will serve as the organization's foremost authority on engineering design by defining enterprise engineering strategies, advancing technologies, and shaping design architectures across products and platforms. This role contributes to product development by guiding strategic engineering decisions, strengthening engineering capabilities, and advising executive leadership on complex technical initiatives that support long-term business objectives and mission success.

Working cross-functionally with electrical, mechanical, systems, software, manufacturing, integration and test, quality, and program teams, this role will identify and solve technical challenges, operational friction, production yields, and post-delivery anomalies. The role will also support electrical design, analysis, integration, and verification throughout the product development lifecycle and across all engineering domains.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Working with Engineering Leadership to continously improve company-wide execution and quality of engineering execution along with engineering processes
• Define enterprise engineering strategies, architectures, design methodologies, and technology roadmaps supporting current and future products
• Foster an environment that allows for rapid and agile prototype development.
• Motivate team members engagement and facilitate interdisciplinary communications.
• Guide and mentor development teams in the detailed design of systems, subsystems, subassemblies, critical parts, and FW/SW.
• Establish organizational standards for design practices.
• Remove friction between the functional organizations.
• Shape the organization's most critical engineering initiatives, providing technical leadership and resolving the most complex engineering challenges across multiple programs. You will be expected to work directly with our design and manufacturing engineers to identify and resolve friction points.
• Evaluate performance, simulation results, qualification testing, and system interactions, defining improvements that strengthen product reliability and mission success.
• Approve organizational electrical design methodologies, verification approaches, and engineering recommendations supporting major development programs.
• Serve as the principal advisor for engineering, guiding engineering, manufacturing, integration and test, quality, program teams, and executive leadership on technical decisions.
• Advance engineering practices across the organization by mentoring senior engineers and strengthening technical capability.
• Define enterprise engineering standards, design methodologies, engineering processes, and technical governance across the organization and technology roadmaps .
• Champion adoption of advanced engineering practices, design technologies, verification processes, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead transformational initiatives that enhance engineering performance, engineering efficiency, product reliability, manufacturability, innovation, and long-term technical capability.
• Provide post-production/in-orbit customer support.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree with 15-19 years of related experience, or Master's degree with 12-17 years of related experience in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, computer engineering, or a related engineering field.
• Organizational expertise in engineering design and fabrication principles.
• Extensive experience defining enterprise level hardware development and fabrication strategies.
• Expert understanding of signal integrity, EMI/EMC, hardware integration, qualification testing, system interfaces, multidisciplinary integration, and emerging engineering technologies.
• Proven ability to evaluate enterprise design performance, engineering risks, and technical methodologies while defining improvements that strengthen long-term product capability.
• Exercises sound judgment when defining enterprise engineering direction, resolving the organization's most complex technical challenges, and advising executive leadership on strategic engineering decisions.
• Proficency in electronic design automation (EDA), circuit simulation, and analysis tools, e.g. Altium Designer, OrCAD, LTspice, MATLAB, or equivalent applications.
• Strong expeirence in engineering analysis, configuration management, and collaboration tools, e.g. Windchill, Git, Jira, or equivalent applications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

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.

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