Lab Manager

CesiumAstro; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 74,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health benefits

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

HSA

FSA

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Retirement plans

Job summary

CesiumAstro is seeking a Lab Manager to lead our electronics lab for space and defense products in a startup-style environment. You will oversee assembly, rework, and test of complex boards, manage lab equipment and procurement, and mentor junior staff to ensure rigorous quality and timely delivery.

The role emphasizes hands-on assembly, RF/power/Digital boards, and leading the growth of our Austin lab while coordinating with engineering teams.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of electronics lab experience
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Strong circuit card assembly and rework with SMT 0402, LGA, BGA components
• Skilled in intricate hand rework of PCB assemblies
• Experience designing/building wire harnesses
• Experience with lab management including calibration, procurement, and consumables
• Excellent written and spoken communication

Responsibilities

• Assemble, rework, and test complex circuit boards in an engineering lab environment
• Integrate and test boxes made of power, RF and digital boards including phased arrays
• Perform advanced rework to solve technical problems
• Design, build, and test harnesses for space/defense systems
• Manage the engineering lab, maintain processes, equipment calibration, and consumables
• Collaborate closely with engineers and technicians in a fast-paced setting
• Mentor junior technicians and engineers, share knowledge
• Author and conduct lab training (ESD, safety, lab organization)

Skills

Lab technician

Circuit assembly

Wire harnesses

SMT rework

Lab management

CAD tools

Safety trainings

Education

High school diploma

Tools

Altium

AutoCAD

SolidWorks

Job description

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross‑functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands‑on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward‑thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add Lab Manager to our team. If you enjoy working in a startup environment, and are passionate about developing leading‑edge electronics for satellites, spacecraft, and aerospace systems, we would like to hear from you.

This role is at the forefront of developing cutting‑edge products for space and defense applications. You will work with a team of engineers and technicians to bring electronic products to life through circuit board assembly, rework, integration, and test, playing a key role in turning the company’s vision into reality. The role encompasses assembly and rework of a wide range of electronic components, from RF and Power semiconductors to high‑speed FPGAs. In addition, you will be leading the growth of the engineering laboratory in Austin, managing laboratory equipment and laboratory resources to support engineering with typical responsibilities extending into laboratory supplies and equipment procurement, bring up, and calibration, implementing and enforcing quality processes and controls, and working with Environmental Health and Safety leadership to ensure laboratory operations are in compliance to internal and external policies.

At a small company and a startup, your work will make direct contributions to the success of the business. The work is challenging and impactful, requiring both breadth and depth of technical knowledge and skills. Our products are made for high‑reliability space and defense applications, so hands‑on work requires high levels of rigor while maintaining the agility of a startup environment.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Assemble, rework, and test complex circuit boards in an engineering lab environment.
• Integrate and test boxes made up of different power, RF and Digital boards, such as phased array boxes and advanced digital‑to‑RF processing units.
• Perform special rework to solve technical problems with advanced rework skills and electronics knowledge.
• Design, build, and test harnesses for space and defense systems.
• Manage the engineering lab, working with engineers and other technicians to maintain lab processes, equipment calibration, and consumables.
• Work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with engineers and other technicians in a cooperative and fast‑paced environment.
• Mentor more junior technicians and engineers, sharing your knowledge and skills with the team.
• Author and conduct lab training for engineers and technicians, such as ESD training, safety training, and lab organization.

Job Requirements And Minimum Qualifications

• 10 years of experience as an electronics lab technician.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Strong circuit card assembly and rework experience with sensitive and fine pitched SMT components, such as 0402 passive components, LGA and BGA components.
• Strong ability to perform intricate hand rework of circuit board assemblies using fine-pitched wire and creative orientations of small electronics components.
• Experience designing and building wire harnesses.
• Experience with engineering laboratory management, including test bench development, leading compliance training, owning equipment calibration, procurement and bring up, and managing consumables and laboratory supplies.
• Excellent written and spoken communication.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with lab equipment for testing, such as high-speed oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads and thermal chambers
• Experience testing RF and communication systems
• Experience viewing drawings using engineering CAD software such as Altium, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or similar
• Fabrication and manufacturing experience with 3D printers, CNC machining, manual milling/lathe, solder reflow ovens, SMT pick and place machines
• Experience with test automation and programming using Python, LabView or similar

$54.56 - $65.59 an hour

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.