Founding Lunar Avionics / Electronics Engineer

GRU Space (YC W26); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace technology firm in San Francisco is seeking an experienced electronics designer to create the avionics stack for lunar payloads. You will design components, write flight software, and qualify materials for harsh lunar conditions. The ideal candidate has prior experience with mixed-signal PCBs and embedded systems programming in C/C++. Your expertise in debugging and familiarity with space standards will be essential in this role, helping to ensure mission success.

Qualifications

• Experience designing mixed-signal PCBs from schematic to bring-up.
• Embedded software experience in C/C++ on microcontrollers and real-time systems.
• Familiarity with spaceflight standards for wiring and EMI.
• Comfort operating across the hardware/software boundary: debug a board with oscilloscope and JTAG probe.
• Experience building flight hardware.

Responsibilities

• Design the avionics stack including controllers and power distribution.
• Write flight software for autonomous sequencing and fault management.
• Select components for lunar conditions.
• Select and qualify components for lunar radiation and thermal environment.
• Build and maintain the ground support equipment and test harnesses for payload integration.

Skills

Designing mixed-signal PCBs

Embedded software in C/C++

Debugging with oscilloscope

Experience with AI tools

Tools

Oscilloscope

JTAG probe

Job description

Your circuit board will wake up on the lunar surface next year.

You’ll design the electronics and flight software that bring our 2027 lunar payload to life: commanding the ISRU brick fabrication process, inflating a habitat bladder, and getting data back to Earth.

What You’ll Do

• Design the avionics stack: controller boards, power distribution, sensor interfaces, heater drivers, and valve actuation electronics.
• Write the flight software for autonomous payload sequencing, closed-loop process control, and fault management.
• Own the electrical interface to the CLPS lander (power, data, commanding, telemetry formatting).
• Select and qualify components for the lunar radiation and thermal environment.
• Build and maintain the ground support equipment and test harnesses for payload integration.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience designing mixed-signal PCBs from schematic through layout, fabrication, and bring-up.
• Embedded software: C/C++ on microcontrollers, real-time systems, hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Familiarity with spaceflight-adjacent standards for wiring, grounding, and EMI/EMC.
• Comfort operating across the hardware/software boundary: you can debug a board with an oscilloscope and a JTAG probe.
• You’re using the latest AI tools every day (i.e., Opus 4.6/GPT 5.4, in appropriate harness) to massively increase your output and do things you otherwise couldn’t.
• You’ve built flight hardware before.