Satellite Avionics Technician Hardware

Front Door Defense; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

HawkEye 360 in Herndon, VA is seeking a Satellite Avionics Technician to lead hands-on assembly and testing of flight hardware for our satellite constellation. You will interpret engineering drawings, assemble circuit boards and harnesses, and perform PCB soldering in a cleanroom, following IPC standards.

The role requires precision, documentation, and readiness to support engineering changes throughout development and flight builds.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a high school diploma.
• 3+ years of hands-on electronics assembly experience, preferably in aerospace or satellite hardware.
• IPC-A-610 training/certification (or equivalent workmanship standards experience).
• Experience working with flight hardware in cleanroom environments, including proper ESD mitigation and contamination control protocols.
• Proven experience with PCB assembly and soldering (surface‑mount and through‑hole components).
• Hands-on experience building electrical harnesses including wire stripping, crimping, pinning, routing, and continuity testing.

Responsibilities

• Assemble, integrate, and test spacecraft avionics hardware including circuit boards, harnesses, and subsystem assemblies
• Build and assemble wire harnesses for satellite integration, including wire stripping, crimping, pinning, routing, and continuity testing
• Support general spacecraft AI&T in the cleanroom following assembly procedures
• Install and solder components on PCBs, including surface‑mount and through‑hole components, following IPC standards and workmanship requirements
• Conduct inspections on incoming assembled boards from contract manufacturers to ensure quality assurance
• Rework and modify flight PCBs and harnesses as needed to support engineering changes and troubleshooting
• Perform qualification testing on circuit boards and assemblies to qualify them for flight
• Layout and assemble electronic ground support equipment (EGSE) for testing flight hardware in our lab
• Interpret engineering schematics, drawings, and assembly procedures to support hardware integration and troubleshooting

Job description

Satellite Avionics Technician

Lead hands‑on assembly and testing of satellite avionics to flight readiness

Location: Herndon, Virginia, United States

Compensation: $70,000 - 115,000 USD / year

Job Tags: Hardware

About The Role

HawkEye 360 (HE360) is seeking a Satellite Avionics Technician to join the Space Team in Herndon, Virginia. The mission of the Space Team is to build, test, launch, operate and maintain a constellation of small commercial satellites. As a Satellite Avionics Technician, you will perform hands‑on assembly, integration, and testing of flight hardware for our spacecraft constellation. This role requires precision work with sensitive spacecraft electronics, including PCB component installation, soldering, and harness fabrication to higher level satellite integration. We’re looking for a candidate who can quickly interpret complex assembly instructions, work delicately with numerous sensitive spacecraft components, and accurately document their work.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Assemble, integrate, and test spacecraft avionics hardware including circuit boards, harnesses, and subsystem assemblies
• Build and assemble wire harnesses for satellite integration, including wire stripping, crimping, pinning, routing, and continuity testing
• Support general spacecraft AI&T in the cleanroom following assembly procedures
• Install and solder components on PCBs, including surface‑mount and through‑hole components, following IPC standards and workmanship requirements
• Conduct inspections on incoming assembled boards from contract manufacturers to ensure quality assurance
• Rework and modify flight PCBs and harnesses as needed to support engineering changes and troubleshooting
• Perform qualification testing on circuit boards and assemblies to qualify them for flight
• Layout and assemble electronic ground support equipment (EGSE) for testing flight hardware in our lab
• Interpret engineering schematics, drawings, and assembly procedures to support hardware integration and troubleshooting

Your skills and qualifications:

• Minimum of a high school diploma
• 3+ years of hands‑on electronics assembly experience, preferably in aerospace or satellite hardware
• IPC-A-610 training/certification (or equivalent workmanship standards experience)
• Experience working with flight hardware in cleanroom environments, including proper ESD mitigation and contamination control protocols
• Proven experience with PCB assembly and soldering (surface‑mount and through‑hole components)
• Hands‑on experience building electrical harnesses including wire stripping, crimping, pinning, routing, and continuity testing
• Basic hand tool knowledge and familiarization with power tools
• Ability to read and interpret engineering schematics, assembly drawings, and technical procedures

Desirable:

• Experience with aerospace‑grade connectors including micro‑D, Harwin, D‑sub, circular, and RF connectors
• IPC J-STD-001 certification (soldering) or IPC-620 certification (wire harness assembly)
• Experience with aerospace hardware across its life‑cycle from prototype through flight builds
• Ex perience with Epsilon 3 or equivale nt for procedure exe cution
• Familiarity with aerospace quality standards and documentation requirements
• Experience using lab equipment such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and continuity testers
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office software for documentation and reporting
• Experience with Linux operating system and running commands within the terminal application

We offer a compensation package that includes a competitive base salary plus annual performance bonus and benefits. We consider many factors when determining salary offers, such as candidate’s work experience, education, training & skills, as well as market and business considerations. We are also open to considering candidates with experience and qualifications at a different level than required in a job posting, which may affect the compensation package offered.

Salary Range

$70,000 - $115,000 USD

Company Overview:

HawkEye 360 is equipping defense, intelligence, and national security leaders with mission‑critical signals intelligence to enable faster, better decision making. By detecting, geolocating, and characterizing radio frequency emissions worldwide, HawkEye 360 delivers trusted domain awareness and early warning indicators to the US Government and allied partners. Our space‑based collection, proprietary signal processing, and AI‑powered analytics transform knowledge of RF spectrum into a strategic advantage. Proven by operational mission success, HawkEye 360 is redefining how signals intelligence strengthens national and global security.

HawkEye 360 is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.