Electrical Engineer (EPS), Spacecraft

Katalyst Space; Broomfield (CO); On-site; USD 105,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation Bonus

Employee Stock Option Plan

Comprehensive Medical Coverage

Vision Coverage

Dental Coverage

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Katalyst Space in Colorado is seeking an Electrical Engineer to contribute to the design, iteration, and qualification of the spacecraft Electrical Power System (EPS), including power conversion, distribution, battery interfaces, solar array interfaces, protection circuitry, and subsystem interfaces.

You will draft and review schematics and PCB layouts, support hardware bring-up and test campaigns, and help plan stress and margin testing across voltage, load transients, and thermal limits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or equivalent.
• 3+ years designing, testing, or integrating power electronics or spacecraft EPS hardware.
• Strong switch‑mode power supply design and DC/DC converter understanding.
• Experience schematics/PCB layouts, high-current routing, EMI/EMC practices.
• Proficiency in Altium or similar ECAD tools.
• Exposure to spacecraft power architectures and telemetry interfaces.
• Hands-on hardware bring-up and lab testing with oscilloscopes and power supplies.
• Experience integrating power electronics with other subsystems; environmental testing is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to design, iteration, and qualification of EPS.
• Design, modify, and review schematics, PCB layouts, interfaces, and analysis packages.
• Support integrated EPS hardware testing with test engineers.
• Help own integrated functional testing across subsystems.
• Plan and execute targeted stress and margin testing.
• Help define design changes and architecture improvements for future EPS.

Skills

Power electronics

Schematic design

PCB layout

Altium

Debugging hardware

Test procedures

Spacecraft power systems

Telemetry interfaces (SPI/I2C/UART/CAN

Embedded hardware bring-up

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium

Job description

Katalyst Description

We build robotic spacecraft that enable dynamic space operations, creating a future where maneuvering, upgrading, refueling, and exploration are as routine as they are on Earth. Getting to space and overcoming the gravity well is only half the story. What you do there is the future. We are not building the trains. We are building the machines that lay down the tracks. By developing the foundational capabilities that make sustained, responsive operations possible, we enable a new era of space activity that strengthens national security and ensures freedom of action in an increasingly contested domain.

Katalyst Culture

Working at Katalyst is intense, hands‑on, and deeply rewarding. You’ll take real ownership and see your work move from concept to operations in an environment where the problems are hard and the impact is real. We value humility, craftsmanship, and doing things the right way, even when it’s harder. You’ll work closely with thoughtful, driven teammates who push each other to do their best.

What You’ll Do

• Contribute to the design, iteration, and qualification ofKatalyst’s spacecraft Electrical Power System (EPS), including power conversion, power distribution, battery interface electronics, solar array interfaces, protection circuitry, and subsystem power interfaces.
• Design,modify, and review schematics, PCB layouts, interface definitions, and analysis packages for spacecraft power electronics, with emphasis on switch-mode power supplies, DC/DC converters, load switching, current sensing, fault protection, and EMI-aware layout practices.
• Support integrated operation of EPS hardware during functional, performance, and qualification testing, working directly with test engineers to execute bench, thermal vacuum, vibration, and other qualification test campaigns.
• Help own integrated functional testing of EPS hardware with avionics, flight software, mechanisms, payloads, and other spacecraft subsystems, ensuring power interfaces behave correctly across nominal, off-nominal, and fault cases.
• Plan and execute targeted stress, margin, and performance testing, exercising hardware across design extremes such as input voltage range, load transients, thermal limits, startup sequencing, fault response, and converter stability.
• Help define design changes and architecture improvements for future spacecraft power systems, including EPS feature upgrades, power budget impacts, redundancy considerations, telemetry needs, and mission-specific power requirements.

Your Ideal Background

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or equivalent field.
• 3+ years of experience designing, testing, or integrating power electronics, spacecraft EPS hardware, battery/solar power interfaces, or closely related high‑reliability power systems.
• Strong understanding of switch‑mode power supply design, DC/DC converter architectures, compensation/stability, magneticsselection, protection circuitry, and practical power electronics debugging.
• Experience designing ormodifying schematics and PCB layouts for power electronics, including high‑current routing, grounding, thermal considerations, creepage/clearance, current sensing, and EMI/EMC‑aware layout practices.
• Proficiency in Altium or a similar ECAD tool for schematic capture, PCB layout review, design release, and documentation.
• Exposure to spacecraft or embedded‑system power architectures, including power distribution, load switching, battery management interfaces, solar array regulation, or power telemetry.
• Exposure to common digital communication standards (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet) and mixed‑signal design best practices for telemetry, control, and power‑system interfaces.
• Hands‑on experience with hardware bring‑up, bench testing, and debugging using oscilloscopes, electronic loads, power supplies, DMMs, logic analyzers, and related lab equipment.
• Experience writing or executing test procedures, documenting results, and driving board‑or component‑level troubleshooting through root cause and corrective action.
• Experience integrating power electronics with other spacecraft or embedded subsystems; exposure to environmental testing such as thermal vacuum or vibration is a plus but not required.

Additional Requirements

Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

Compensation and Benefits

The anticipated salary range for this role is $105,000 - $145,000 annually.

• Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Katalyst.
• You will also be eligible for long‑term incentives, in the form of the Employee Stock Option and Equity Plan, as well as a relocation bonus and other discretionary bonuses.
• You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, and unlimited Paid Time Off.

At Katalyst our work on projects involving the U.S. Department of Defense requires adherence to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 C.F.R. Parts 120‑130, which requires compliance with U.S. export laws before allowing employees to perform certain positions. Currently, our available roles necessitate access to ITAR‑controlled information, and as a result, Katalyst would have to ensure any non‑US person is authorized access to ITAR information before the commencement of employment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.