Hardware Test Engineer II, Testbeds & EGSE

Muonspace; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 157,000 - 182,000; Full time

Job summary

Muon Space in San Jose is seeking a Hardware Test Engineer to lead the design of HITL testbeds and EGSE used in satellite integration. You’ll stay hands-on in build and bring-up, translating concepts into deployable hardware and test infrastructure.

You’ll collaborate across electrical, software, mechanical, and industrial controls teams, shaping testbed architecture and supporting operations on a growing spacecraft fleet. On-site work is required five days a week in San Jose.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with complex electromechanical systems including 2+ years in test or test-infrastructure development.
• Background in electrical, embedded software, mechanical, or industrial controls engineering.
• Experience designing hardware that others build and use.
• Ability to read schematics, block diagrams, and production drawings.
• Strong hands-on debugging across hardware and software with standard test equipment.
• Scripting or programming ability (Python, Bash, or similar).
• Understanding of electronics fundamentals and common interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet).
• Excellent communication and teamwork in a fast-paced environment.
• B.S. in engineering or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Comfort in a Linux development environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of future HITL testbed infrastructure: architecture, form factor, non-satellite hardware, external interfaces.
• Lead the design of next-generation EGSE for powering, commanding, and monitoring satellites during integration and test.
• Translate testbed concepts to concrete hardware drawings and interface definitions.
• Build, integrate, and bring up testbed hardware with the team and support fleet operations.
• Create and maintain testbed architecture diagrams and design documentation.
• Debug hardware and interface issues across testbeds with cross-disciplinary teams.
• Coordinate with supply chain, production, and facilities on testbed inventory and resources.
• Mentor junior engineers and drive scalable testbed designs for a growing satellite fleet.

Skills

Debugging

Scripting

Communication

Teamwork

Linux

Education

B.S. in engineering

Tools

Altium

SolidWorks

Job description

About the role

Muon seeks a Hardware Test Engineer to join our Testbeds & EGSE team — the group that builds the Hardware-In-The-Loop (HITL) testbeds behind every Muon mission and the electrical ground support equipment (EGSE) used to interface with our satellites during assembly, integration, and test. In this role you'll lead the design of our future testbed infrastructure and next generation of EGSE, while staying hands‑on in the build and bring‑up of the testbeds our missions depend on today.

This team sits at the crossroads of disciplines, and so can you: engineers with electrical, embedded software, mechanical, or industrial controls backgrounds all thrive here. You'll work directly with the electrical missions team to define each testbed's parallel of the mission's flight hardware, and see your designs go from concept to daily use across the company.

Due to the hands‑on nature of this role, it requires onsite work at our San Jose location 5x days a week.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of future HITL testbed infrastructure: architecture, form factor, non-satellite hardware, and external interfaces
• Lead the design of next‑generation EGSE used to power, command, and monitor satellites during integration and test
• Work with the electrical missions team to define each testbed's parallel of the mission's flight hardware, translating block diagrams, schematics, and drawings into testbed designs
• Build, integrate, and bring up testbed hardware alongside the team, and support the fleet in daily operation
• Generate and maintain testbed architecture diagrams, interface definitions, and design documentation
• Debug hardware and interface issues across testbeds to root cause, working with electrical, software, and systems engineers
• Coordinate with supply chain, production, and facilities teams on testbed inventory, module builds, and support resources (power, network)
• Guide junior engineers and technicians on the team, and drive testbed designs that scale with an increasingly capable satellite fleet

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands‑on experience with complex electromechanical systems, including 2+ years in test, testbed, or test‑infrastructure development
• Background in electrical engineering, embedded software, mechanical engineering, or industrial controls
• Experience designing hardware — electrical, mechanical, or integrated systems — that others build and use
• Ability to read and work from electrical schematics, block diagrams, and production drawings
• Strong hands‑on debugging skills across hardware and software interfaces, with standard test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes)
• Scripting or programming ability (Python, Bash, or similar)
• Understanding of electronics fundamentals and common communication interfaces (e.g., UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet)
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills, comfortable in a fast‑paced environment
• B.S. in an engineering discipline or equivalent hands‑on experience
• Comfort in a Linux development environment

Nice-to-have Skills

• Experience with HITL testbeds, lab automation, or large‑scale test infrastructure
• Electrical CAD experience (Altium preferred) or harness design tools
• Mechanical CAD experience (SolidWorks preferred) for rack and fixture design
• Experience with industrial automation or rack‑based electronics, networking, and power distribution
• Aerospace or other high‑reliability industry experience

Salary

The salary range for this role is $157,000 - $182,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end‑to‑end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission‑critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time‑to‑orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state‑of‑the‑art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package.

In addition to salary, full‑time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance.

• medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401k retirement plan
• short & long term disability and life insurance
• three weeks paid vacation for new employees
• 12 paid holidays
• unlimited sick time
• paid parental leave

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.