Digital Space Instrument Electrical Engineer (R&D Engineer 3)

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos (NM)

On-site

USD 95,000 - 120,000

Full time

14 days+

Get more replies from employers

Send a job-specific resume in minutes.

Benefits offered by this job

PPO or High Deductible medical insurance

Dental and vision insurance

401(k) matching

Flexible schedules and time off

Onsite gyms and wellness programs

Job summary

Los Alamos National Laboratory seeks a motivated R&D Electrical Engineer to join our ISR-4 Group. You will design, develop, and test measurement systems for space missions, engaging in a collaborative team environment. Candidates should have advanced expertise and a master's degree in engineering, with a background in FPGA-based design and high-speed data acquisition.

This role includes mentoring early-career staff and applying advanced design methodologies to real-world applications while contributing to national security and NASA missions.

Qualifications

Demonstrated advanced experience in digital electronic design.
Ability to lead technical work in a multidisciplinary environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

Collaborate to define instrument requirements and lead design.
Provide technical leadership and evaluate design tradeoffs.
Contribute to team growth through mentorship and collaboration.

Skills

FPGA-based design and implementation using VHDL

High-speed data acquisition and digital signal processing

Design and verification of communication interfaces

Synchronous digital design and hardware validation

Integration of subsystems with analog and embedded hardware

Experience debugging circuits in a lab

Education

Master's degree in engineering

Tools

Ansys HFSS/SIwave or Siemens HyperLynx

Job description

What You Will Do

Come join our passionate team of R&D engineers and scientists supporting national security! The Space Electronics and Signal Processing (ISR-4) Group is seeking R&D Electrical Engineers to assist and lead the design and development of high-quality, innovative measurement systems followed by their deployment to space for national security applications and NASA missions. This job is the essence of “Cradle to Grave” engineering; once designed, built, and tested, you will often provide subject matter expertise for payload delivery, launch, and operations over the life of the mission whether in earth orbit for 10+ years, Mars, or deep space.

ISR Division designs, builds, delivers, and exploits innovative ground‑and space‑based measurement systems and provides unique analysis and interpretation of data from these systems. We succeed through our cohesive, interdisciplinary teams of engineers, technicians, and scientists working within a highly creative and dynamic R&D environment. Our projects range from cutting‑edge scientific explorations expanding our knowledge of the universe, to ensuring national and global security. ISR’s 400+ instruments fly on over 200 satellites, including numerous NASA missions like Voyager, which has left our solar system, and the last two Mars Rovers. For more information go to lanl.gov/space.

If you possess self‑initiative and enjoy working in a small team environment of rapid prototype, high quality, low volume, electrical assemblies this is the job for you. ISR-4 is looking for a few highly motivated mid‑career electrical engineers to assist in the development of custom instrumentation for various space‑based detection systems. These systems can include:

Satellite‑based detectors for space monitoring programs in support of nonproliferation and nuclear event detection missions;
Payloads for planetary science missions;
Smallsat and Cubesat Systems.

As a Digital Space Instrument Design Engineer (R&D Engineer 3), you will collaborate across science and engineering disciplines to define instrument requirements and lead the design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of spaceflight hardware, with a primary focus on architecting high‑speed data acquisition with FPGA‑based systems. You are a recognized technical contributor with advanced expertise, capable of independently driving complex designs and ensuring performance in demanding space environments.

In this role, you serve as a technical leader within ISR, providing in‑depth evaluation of design tradeoffs and guiding key engineering decisions. You apply advanced electrical engineering methodologies with a strong commitment to safety, security, and quality. You also contribute to team growth through mentorship, collaboration, and clear technical communication, while continuing to expand your own expertise and impact.

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements

Engineering Expertise

Demonstrated advanced experience in digital electronic design for instrumentation or similar high‑performance systems, including:

FPGA‑based design and implementation using VHDL
High‑speed data acquisition and digital signal processing architectures
Design, integration, and verification of high‑throughput communication interfaces such as SpaceWire, Ethernet, serial transceivers, or related protocols in the Gb/s regime
Synchronous digital design, simulation, timing analysis, synthesis, routing, and hardware validation
Development of test benches, verification methodologies, and debugging strategies for FPGA‑based systems
Integration of digital subsystems with analog, sensor, and embedded processing hardware
Experience debugging & troubleshooting circuits/prototypes in a lab environment

Communication and Teaming

Demonstrated ability to lead and execute technical work both independently and in a multidisciplinary team environment with engineers, scientists, and technicians. Applies advanced expertise in one or more areas of engineering to guide the research, design, verification, and validation of electrical engineering solutions.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts, support sound decision‑making, and collaborate effectively across disciplines. Proven capability to understand the broader system context and integrate electrical design decisions with inputs from other subject matter experts.
Recognized for strong organizational skills, sound technical judgment, and the ability to evaluate design tradeoffs at the task and subsystem level. Demonstrates initiative in influencing project execution and contributing to team or organizational direction, including mentoring and supporting the development of early‑career staff.

Security Clearance: Ability and desire to obtain Q/SCI clearance/access, which requires U.S. citizenship.

Education/Experience: Position requires a master’s degree in engineering and 6 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

Experience in one or more of the following areas is desired but not required: Digital Systems: FPGA‑based design (VHDL/Verilog), digital interfaces, and embedded systems integration
High‑Speed Interface Design: SerDes (JESD204, Ethernet, PCIe, USB (3.x), and/or 100G+ Ethernet)
Mixed‑Signal Systems: Cross‑domain optimization of analog, digital, and power subsystems for overall instrument performance
Knowledge of configuration management tools and processes
Experience with space‑flight hardware development and formal verification methods desirable
Proficiency in 2D/3D Signal and Power Integrity (SI/PI) simulation tools (e.g., Ansys HFSS/SIwave or Siemens HyperLynx)
Hands‑on experience with Bit Error Rate Testers (BERTs), Vector Network Analyzers (VNAs) and/or Time Domain Reflectometers (TDRs)
Active Q/SCI clearance/access

Note to Applicants

In addition to providing a resume, applicants should also include a cover letter detailing their experience as applied to the job requirements.

Work Environment

Work Location

The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.

Position Commitment

Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year or 2 years.

Equal Opportunity

Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request such an accommodation, please send an email to applyhelp@lanl.gov or call (505)-664-6947.

Benefits