Electrical Engineer, Optical Communications

Socket.dev; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k)

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. in San Carlos, CA is seeking an RF Engineer to design and deploy advanced communication systems with a focus on high-speed optical communications and SDR architectures. You will bridge networking, RF avionics, and embedded compute to build robust flight-ready pipelines.

Responsibilities include PCBA design, SDR pipeline implementation, optical link development, and end-to-end system validation, with cross-disciplinary collaboration across avionics, firmware, and compute teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in RF systems, communications engineering, or related domain.
• Strong fundamentals in communication theory (modulation, coding, synchronization, signal propagation).
• Experience in designing PCBA’s for communication systems.
• Experience with software-defined radio platforms.
• Hands-on experience with RF lab equipment (spectrum analyzers, signal generators, VNAs, oscilloscopes).
• Familiarity with link budgeting and system-level performance analysis.
• Experience working across hardware and software boundaries.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate communication PCBAs, modulators, and devices for airborne or space-based platforms.
• Architect and implement SDR-based communication pipelines (modulation, encoding, synchronization, and signal processing).
• Develop high-speed optical communication links (free-space optics / laser comms), including link budgeting, pointing and tracking, and alignment strategies with intelligent failover and redundancy.
• Perform system-level trade studies from high-speed optical links.
• Design and validate end-to-end communication chains, from data streams, through communication PCBAs, and to optical front-ends.
• Collaborate closely with avionics, firmware, and compute teams to integrate comms systems into flight hardware.
• Develop test infrastructure for lab and field validation, including over-the-air testing and optical link validation setups.
• Analyze performance under real-world conditions (noise, interference, Doppler, atmospheric turbulence, pointing loss) and iterate rapidly.
• Own documentation, interface definitions, and system performance metrics for communication subsystems.

Skills

RF systems

Communication theory

Software-defined radio

Lab testing

Education

Bachelor's in EE

Tools

Spectrum analyzers

Signal generators

VNAs

Oscilloscopes

SDR platforms

Job description

Electrical Engineer, Optical Communications

About Cowboy Space Corp.

MissionCowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.

BackgroundCowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport.

Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.

Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.

This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation ’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.

The Role

We are looking for an RF Engineer to design and deploy advanced communication systems with a strong emphasis on high-speed optical communications and software-defined radio architectures. This role sits at the boundary of networking, RF avionics, and embedded compute, requiring a systems-level approach to building robust, flight-capable communication pipelines.

You will own the development of RF and hybrid RF/optical communication subsystems capable of delivering high-throughput data links under real-world constraints including motion, atmospheric interference, thermal variation, and limited power budgets.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate communication PCBAs, modulators, and devices for airborne or space-based platforms
• Architect and implement SDR-based communication pipelines (modulation, encoding, synchronization, and signal processing)
• Develop high-speed optical communication links (free-space optics / laser comms), including link budgeting, pointing and tracking, and alignment strategies with intelligent failover and redundancy
• Perform system-level trade studies from high-speed optical links
• Design and validate end-to-end communication chains, from data streams, through communication PCBAs, and to optical front-ends
• Collaborate closely with avionics, firmware, and compute teams to integrate comms systems into flight hardware
• Develop test infrastructure for lab and field validation, including over-the-air testing and optical link validation setups
• Analyze performance under real-world conditions (noise, interference, Doppler, atmospheric turbulence, pointing loss) and iterate rapidly
• Own documentation, interface definitions, and system performance metrics for communication subsystems

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field
• 3+ years of experience in RF systems, communications engineering, or related domain
• Strong fundamentals in communication theory (modulation, coding, synchronization, signal propagation)
• Experience in designing PCBA’s for communication systems
• Experience with software-defined radio platforms
• Hands-on experience with RF lab equipment (spectrum analyzers, signal generators, VNAs, oscilloscopes)
• Familiarity with link budgeting and system-level performance analysis
• Experience working across hardware and software boundaries

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing or deploying high-speed optical communication systems (free-space optics, laser communications, coherent optical links, or photonics)
• Background in avionics, aerospace systems, or other mission-critical embedded environments
• Experience with real-time DSP implementation on embedded systems, FPGAs, or GPUs
• Familiarity with SDR frameworks and low-level radio hardware (e.g., USRPs or custom RF front-ends)
• Understanding of atmospheric effects on both RF and optical propagation (scattering, absorption, turbulence)
• Experience with pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) systems for optical links
• Knowledge of antenna systems, phased arrays, or optical beam steering technologies
• Experience with high-throughput data systems and low-latency communication architectures
• Experience working within SWaP (size, weight, and power) constraints for flight systems
• Strong debugging skills across the full stack: RF front-end, optical systems, firmware, and software

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $150,000 – $200,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance if applicable
• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.