Electrical Engineering Manager - Software Defined Radio Hardware

Astranis; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

401(k) retirement planning

Flexible PTO

On-site meals

Job summary

Astranis seeks an Electrical Engineering Manager to oversee delivery of custom Software Defined Radios for GEO space telecommunications. You will lead cradle-to-grave hardware development, from architecture to testing and qualification, across a high-performance team.

Ideal candidates have a proven track record in FPGA-based SDRs for space, leadership of small teams, and hands-on experience with high-speed digital hardware.

Qualifications

• BS or higher in electrical or computer engineering.
• 8+ years of mixed-signal and high-speed digital hardware design.
• 8+ years of PCB-level hardware design experience.
• Proven leadership through project management, mentorship, and people management.
• Hands-on hardware development in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of electrical engineers to design software defined radios for space.
• Oversee and manage design workflows for complex PCBAs with compute, high-speed I/O, data converters, and power distribution.
• Architect ultra high-speed mixed-signal systems for efficient spacecraft communications payloads.
• Drive continuous technical innovation and industry expertise to stay competitive.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Mentorship

Communication

FPGA design

RTL development

High-speed digital hardware

Space hardware

Education

B.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering

Tools

Altium

Ansys SIwave

Keysight ADS

EDA tools

Job description

Electrical Engineering Manager - Software Defined Radio Hardware

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.

With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.

Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

As an Engineering Manager, you will be responsible for the delivery of our custom Software Defined Radios. As a team leader you will oversee cradle to grave hardware development: architecture definition, board design, testing, and qualification.

Ideal Candidate:

• An individual who has built and overseen the entire design cycle of FPGA based software defined radios for GEO space telecommunications satellites
• Proven record of delivering custom designed hardware that spans the entire range of signal chain design, integration of FPGAs with high speed data converters, custom power and clocking solutions, and supporting RTL development
• Experience with design and analysis of payloads for satellite communications, including radiation effects within FPGA based systems or highly complex digital devices
• History of leading small teams and mentoring employees, strong communication skills, and ability to make high impact decisions under uncertainty

Role:

• Lead and develop a team of electrical engineers to design industry shattering software defined radios capable of running complex signal processing algorithms in space!
• Oversee and manage design workflows for highly complex PCBAs with integrated compute, high speed I/O, data converters, and power distribution.
• Architect ultra high-speed mixed signal systems to achieve the most efficient and flexible communications payloads, integrating them with the rest of the spacecraft
• Ensure competitiveness through continuous technical innovation and industry expertise

Requirements:

• B.S. or higher in electrical or computer engineering, or similar technical degree
• 8+ years of professional experience in mixed-signal and high-speed digital hardware design. Examples include FPGAs, high speed data converters, SerDes and high speed serial links, networking, JESD204C
• 8+ years of PCB-level experience designing hardware from concept through production (schematic capture, layout, bring-up, characterization, etc)
• Proven leadership through project management, mentorship, and people management experience
• A passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands‑on design

Bonus:

• Strong background in mixed signal system performance measurement, design validation, and debugging (EVM testing, spur analysis, multi-carrier measurements, etc)
• Experience simulating high speed digital protocols using Ansys SIwave, Keysight ADS, or similar tools
• Experience with Altium or similar EDA tools for high-density PCB design
• Strong background in digital communications theory and measurement of radio nonidealities (HD, IMD, IQ imbalance, gain ripple, group delay distortion, etc)

What we offer:

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

$180,000 - $250,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Astranis’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.