Principal Space Payload I&T Engineer – Bring-Up & Test

Trident Systems Inc.; Chantilly (VA); Hybrid; USD 101,000 - 188,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k)

Job summary

Trident Systems Inc. in Chantilly, VA is seeking a Principal Integration & Test (I&T) Engineer to lead the integration, debugging, and verification of space payload systems across software, firmware, and electronics.

You will troubleshoot at the hardware/software boundary, perform root-cause analysis, and support system bring-up for lab, environmental, and flight test activities. The ideal candidate has 9+ years of related experience, a strong background in embedded systems and avionics, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• 9+ years of related experience.
• Experience integrating and testing embedded systems, avionics, or aerospace hardware.
• Ability to debug across software, firmware, and electronics.
• Experience reading schematics, ICDs, test procedures, requirements, and design docs.
• Experience with embedded debugging tools, logs, telemetry, and lab instrumentation.
• Familiarity with C/C++, Python, or scripting languages for test automation.

Responsibilities

• Integrate and test space payload hardware and software in development, qualification, and flight-like configurations.
• Debug and troubleshoot issues spanning software, embedded software, FPGA/firmware interfaces, electronics, sensors, and links.
• Support bring-up of payload electronics, processors, FPGAs, data interfaces, and support equipment.
• Investigate failures during integration and test using lab equipment, logs, telemetry, and diagnostics.
• Use lab equipment to diagnose hardware/interface issues (oscilloscopes, analyzers, generators).
• Support checkout of interfaces like SPI, I2C, UART, RS-422/485, Ethernet, SpaceWire, CAN.
• Collaborate with software, firmware, electrical, systems, mechanical engineers to resolve issues.

Skills

Debug across software/firmware/electro

C/C++

Python

Schematic/ICD interpretation

Embedded debugging tools & telemetry

Lab instrumentation

9+ years experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer/Aerospace Engineering or related field

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Power supplies

DMMs

Protocol analyzers

Signal generators

SpaceWire

RS-422/485

Ethernet

CAN

Job description

Trident Systems Inc. in Chantilly, VA is seeking a Principal Integration & Test (I&T) Engineer to lead the integration, debugging, and verification of space payload systems across software, firmware, and electronics.

You will troubleshoot at the hardware/software boundary, perform root-cause analysis, and support system bring-up for lab, environmental, and flight test activities. The ideal candidate has 9+ years of related experience, a strong background in embedded systems and avionics, and