Electrical Hardware Development Engineer

Approach Venture LLC; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

No-cost medical, dental, and vision

Equity for early employees

Relocation support

Job summary

Approach Venture LLC in San Francisco, CA seeks a founding Electrical Hardware Development Engineer to own the laser driver electronics, power systems, and flight-grade control hardware for a first-of-its-kind spacecraft.

You will design boards, assemble and test by hand, and work closely with mechanical, optics, and software engineers to integrate the system into a flight vehicle. This is a hands-on, founder-level role with complete ownership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of hands-on electrical hardware design, build, and test.
• Strong power electronics fundamentals across conversion, distribution, protection, and energy storage.
• Board-level design in Altium or equivalent, plus hands-on assembly and rework.

Responsibilities

• Own the electrical architecture for the laser payload and supporting systems from concept through build, test, and flight.
• Design space-rated laser driver electronics delivering high peak power reliably.
• Develop high-discharge-rate battery systems including cell selection, pack design, and BMS.
• Design power distribution units, switching, protection, and harnessing for high-power loads.
• Build actuator drive and control boards for pointing mechanisms and moving hardware.
• Take designs from schematic to assembly, bring-up, and debug at board and system levels.
• Collaborate with mechanical engineers on packaging, thermal paths, connectors, and cabling.
• Plan and run functional, thermal vacuum, vibration, and EMI testing; fix issues.

Skills

Electrical hardware design

Power electronics fundamentals

Subsystem integration

Soldering & rework

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium

Job description

Electrical Hardware Development Engineer – Build the Laser Drivers, Power Systems, and Control Electronics for a First-of-Its-Kind Spacecraft

San Francisco, CA | On-site

Opportunity Summary

Join a newly funded space and defense startup building the first spacecraft to carry a high-energy laser into orbit. As our founding Electrical Hardware Development Engineer, you will own the electrical system end to end: laser drivers, actuator control boards, high-discharge battery packs, and power distribution, all built for space.

This is a team-of-one role with complete ownership. You will design boards, build and wire hardware by hand, test it hard, and work shoulder to shoulder with mechanical, optics, and software engineers to integrate it into a flight vehicle. If you keep a home lab and build electronics on weekends because you love it, this role was written for you.

About Us

We are a stealth-stage space and defense company building the first spacecraft to put a high-energy laser in orbit. Hundreds of billions of dollars in satellites operate today with no way to defend themselves, and we are building the capability to protect them. Our three founders have designed, built, and launched complex space hardware at leading space companies and defense primes. Backed by an oversubscribed seed round from tier-one venture investors, we are building our demonstration spacecraft over the next 12 months.

Job Duties

• Own the electrical architecture for the laser payload and supporting systems from concept through build, test, and flight.
• Design space-rated laser driver electronics that deliver high peak power reliably.
• Develop high-discharge-rate battery systems, including cell selection, pack design, and the battery management system.
• Design power distribution units, switching, protection, and harnessing for high-power loads.
• Build actuator drive and control boards for pointing mechanisms and other moving hardware.
• Take designs from schematic and PCB layout through assembly, bring-up, and debug at the board and system level.
• Work hands-on with mechanical engineers on packaging, thermal paths, connectors, and cable routing.
• Plan and run functional, thermal vacuum, vibration, and EMI testing, then fix what breaks.
• Select and screen components for radiation, thermal, and outgassing performance.
• Interface payload electronics with flight computers, sensors, and the spacecraft bus.
• Document designs, test results, and interfaces so a growing team can build on your work.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 5+ years of hands-on electrical hardware design, build, and test.
• Proven record of taking complex electrical systems with multiple subsystems from concept through build and test.
• Strong power electronics fundamentals across conversion, distribution, protection, and energy storage.
• Board-level design in Altium or an equivalent EDA tool, plus hands-on assembly, soldering, and rework.
• Comfort working from the board level up to finished physical hardware alongside mechanical engineers.
• Experience designing for extreme environments such as space, underwater, oil and gas, high vibration, or extreme temperatures.
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident, willing to obtain a security clearance.

Preferred Experience

• Spaceflight hardware experience (helpful, not required).
• Laser driver, pulsed power, or high-voltage design.
• Battery management systems and high-discharge lithium-ion pack design.
• Motor and actuator control electronics.
• Early engineer at a small hardware startup with broad ownership.
• A home lab and a history of personal hardware projects.

Why Join Us

• Own the entire electrical system as the founding electrical engineer.
• Build hardware for the first high-energy laser to operate in space.
• No-cost medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees, with subsidized family coverage.
• Meaningful early-stage equity.
• Work alongside founders who have designed, built, and launched complex space hardware.
• Relocation support if company locations evolve as we grow.

Compensation Details

$200,000 – $250,000 + equity