Principal Integration & Test Engineer

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Equity in the company

Job summary

K2 Space in Los Angeles seeks a Principal Integration & Test Engineer to lead spacecraft testing and integration efforts. You will develop testing standards, mentor junior staff, and interface with customers to ensure quality outcomes.

This role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering and substantial experience in spacecraft testing. A competitive salary of $175,000 - $200,000, along with equity and benefits, is offered.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in an integration/test/automation engineering role.
• Experience working in a clean room and with ESD-sensitive equipment.
• Hands-on experience with HITL/HWIL or Flat-sat software verification testbeds.

Responsibilities

• Develop company-wide standards for vehicle test used to confirm spacecraft flightworthiness.
• Operate spacecraft during system tests at various facilities.
• Mentor junior team members.

Skills

Electrical, aerospace, mechanical, computer engineering

Testing and troubleshooting spacecraft components

Experience with environmental testing

Excellent conflict resolution and negotiation skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in relevant engineering discipline

Tools

Electrical test equipment (PSU, Oscilloscope, DMM)

Job description

The Role

As a Principal Integration & Test Engineer, you will help hone K2’s approach to subscale and full vehicle production, qualification testing, and operation. Your work will span most technical disciplines at the company and will require building consensus from disparate stakeholders. You will be asked to help mentor others while serving as a critical driver for on‑time delivery and mitigating mission risk. Our goal is to develop a fully autonomous constellation that starts on the ground. You’ll be the driver of constellation‑level control to realize this goal.

Responsibilities

• Develop company‑wide standards for vehicle test (manual and automated) used to confirm spacecraft hardware and software flightworthiness.
• Operate spacecraft (interpret telemetry, send commands) during system tests at the factory, test facilities, launch sites, and during pre‑launch operations.
• Act as a test conductor (and sometimes POC) for environmental test campaigns.
• Mentor more junior members of the team.
• Interface with customers to scope testing performed on their payloads, based on expected functions and failure modes of interest.
• Manage relationships with launch vehicle providers, including contractual deliverables such as interface control documents and environmental test plan justifications.
• Lead high‑visibility (proto)qualification campaigns for development and flight hardware.
• Assess risks associated with different integration and test approaches, justify test reductions and optimize vehicle build/test flows for at‑rate production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, aerospace, mechanical, computer, or other relevant engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in an integration/test/automation engineering role.
• 5+ years of experience testing and troubleshooting spacecraft and their related components and systems, including subsystem checkouts and system acceptance testing.
• Experience with environmental testing, such as thermal vacuum or random vibration.
• Experience working in a clean room and with ESD‑sensitive equipment.
• Hands‑on experience using electrical test equipment (PSU, Oscilloscope, DMM, etc.).
• Hands‑on experience with HITL/HWIL or Flat‑sat software verification testbeds.
• Excellent conflict resolution and negotiation skills.

Nice to Have

• Proficient in Python and/or Rust.
• Experience with Linux systems.
• Experience managing contractual interfaces (e.g., customer, launch vehicle).

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $175,000 - $200,000 + equity in the company.
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, knowledge and skills, education, and experience level.
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks.

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non‑traditional career twists and turns are encouraged.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.” The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations. The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity Employment

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Reasonable Accommodation

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.