Lead Avionics Architect – Spacecraft Systems

Cowboy Space Corp.; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per calendar year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Daily lunch in the office and stocked

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Head of Avionics to lead the design, development, and integration of avionics systems across our spacecraft platform. This role owns architecture, execution, and real‑time control interfaces enabling on‑orbit power management and communication.

You will build and lead a team of avionics engineers, define technical direction, and collaborate with hardware, integration, and operations to deliver reliable, scalable systems for space applications.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in avionics engineering.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field.
• Experience designing and shipping embedded or avionics systems in production environments.
• Strong background in RTOS, microcontrollers/SoCs/FPGA-based systems, and hardware/software integration.
• Experience leading technical projects or engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of system architecture and embedded design principles.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical vision and roadmap for avionics across spacecraft platforms.
• Own system architecture across avionics, hardware interfaces, and system integration.
• Lead the design and development of avionics systems, peripheral interfaces, EMI/EMC, embedded architecture, and rapid testing infrastructure.
• Build and lead a team of avionics engineers, setting technical direction and development standards.
• Ensure robust communication across subsystems and subsystem leads.
• Drive end‑to‑end development from concept through design, integration, validation, and flight readiness.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with other spacecraft teams to ensure seamless system integration.
• Establish testing, validation, and qualification strategies for avionics systems, including HIL and simulation environments.
• Optimize systems for performance within constraints of power, thermal, and radiation environments.
• Guide component selection, vendor partnerships, and manufacturing processes for avionics hardware.
• Participate in system‑level trade studies to balance performance, cost, mass, and power.
• Represent avionics in design reviews (PDR, CDR) and executive‑level discussions.

Skills

Avionics

RTOS

Microcontrollers

FPGA

Hardware/Software integration

Team leadership

System architecture

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field

Tools

HIL testing

Simulation environments

Telemetry/Command/Data Handling (C&DH) tools

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Head of Avionics to lead the design, development, and integration of avionics systems across our spacecraft platform. This role owns architecture, execution, and real‑time control interfaces enabling on‑orbit power management and communication.

You will build and lead a team of avionics engineers, define technical direction, and collaborate with hardware, integration, and operations to deliver reliable, scalable systems for space applications.