Principal Electrical Engineer, Space Special Systems

Anduril; Chantilly, Herndon (VA, VA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 292,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grants

Top-tier benefits

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Chantilly, VA is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer to lead full-cycle PCB design for spacecraft and related systems, from requirements through bring-up and integration.

You will act as an individual contributor and team lead, mentor engineers, and help grow reliable, manufacturable space hardware while maintaining top-secret clearance.

Qualifications

• Active U.S. Top Secret clearance required and ability to maintain.
• 20+ years in hardware product development, 10+ for space flight.
• Deep PCB layout knowledge meeting space flight requirements.
• Ability to read schematics and apply best practices.
• Experience with Ethernet, CAN, I2C, SPI, PCIe, MIPI, etc.
• Familiar with MCU/CPU/FPGA technologies and interfaces.
• Proficient in Altium Designer or equivalent E-CAD tools.
• Exceptional communication and teamwork skills.
• Independent ownership across cradle-to-grave space systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead full cycle PCB design for spacecraft and related systems.
• Gather requirements, perform schematic design, component selection.
• Supervise layout, bring-up, test, debug, and system integration.
• Mentor and grow the Space Special Programs team.
• Develop electrical system designs and establish best practices.
• Conduct design reviews and root-cause analysis in production.
• Perform low-level firmware bring-up and testing as needed.
• Work with cross-functional teams across space hardware domains.
• Maintain alignment with space flight design standards.

Skills

Top Secret clearance

20+ years exp

PCB Layout

Schematic reading

High-speed interfaces

Altium Designer

Space hardware design

Leadership

Security clearance eligibility

Tools

Altium Designer

Job description

Principal Electrical Engineer, Space Special Systems

Chantilly, Virginia, United States; Herndon, Virginia, United States

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

ABOUT THE TEAM

In the Space Special Programs team, we build spacecraft and space systems which serve a wide variety of functions in the space architecture. At a time when space superiority can no longer be taken for granted and with space systems proliferating at an incredible rate, the Space Special Programs team provides advanced, mission critical capabilities to our customer base to be able to more effectively operate and survive within this expanding environment with limited personnel. Working across product, engineering, sales, logistics, operations, and mission success, the Space Special Programs team develops, tests, deploys, and operates new, unique, space capabilities to drive mission success in challenging operational environments.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for a Principal Electrical Engineer to join our rapidly growing team in Chantilly, VA. In this role, you will be responsible for Full Cycle PCB design for spacecraft and associated systems including collecting requirements, schematic design, component selection, supervision or completion of layout, bring-up, test, debug and integration with the system. You are expected to be an individual contributor as well as the team lead. Additionally, you will be responsible for helping develop the system electrical designs and, as the expert electrical engineer, for mentoring and growing your team.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Work with a cross-functional team to design market leading hardware products
• Drive product maturity through rapid prototyping, design verification, and qualification activities
• Apply modern space-flight hardware design standards and guidelines to create high-reliability, highly manufacturable assemblies , and a team which implements them.
• Implement combinations of high-speed digital, precision analog, RF, and ultra-low power, and medium-power designs
• Lead the team in establishing internal guidelines and best practices for space flight hardware design, test, and manufacture
• Conduct peer-level and cross-discipline design reviews and mentor your team
• Low level firmware development for bring-up and test
• Root cause analysis in support of production operations
• Work in a fast-paced environment, having to juggle multiple concurrent projects and customers

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• 20+ years of professional experience in hardware product development, at least 10 designing space flight hardware
• Full understanding of PCB Layout techniques to meet space flight mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing requirements
• Ability to read and interpret schematics and apply best practices appropriate for each design
• Familiarity with standard interfaces such as Ethernet, CAN, I2C, SPI, PCIe, MIPI CSI-2, etc
• Familiarity with common MCU, CPU, FPGA devices and technologies
• Knowledge of modern analog and digital electronics and electronic circuits
• Ability to determine work priorities based on broad direction from management
• Experience using Altium Designer or equivalent E-CAD tools
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with others
• Ability to work within our company and team culture
• Demonstrated High ownership and autonomy across the entire cradle-to-grave lifecycle of a spacecraft or space system electrical subsystem.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Understanding of MIL-STD-810 and relevant military environmental qualification standards
• Understanding of MIL-STD-461 and relevant military electromagnetic compatibility standards
• Experience designing, integrating, and flying Cubesat spacecraft meant to operate in LEO through GEO environments
• Familiarity designing and working with cryptographic equipment and associated key material
• 3+ years of experience working in a classified environment

US Salary Range

$220,000 - $292,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril’s total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits .