Senior Avionics Electrical Engineer (Electric Propulsion)

Impulsespace; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, Vision & Dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Impulse Space in Redondo Beach is hiring a Senior Avionics Electrical Engineer to design and test circuit boards for our electric propulsion system. You will own hardware design decisions and collaborate with software, propulsion, GNC, and manufacturing teams throughout development, testing, and flight operations.

The role requires hands-on experience with electronics hardware, strong analytical skills, and the ability to communicate complex challenges.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of professional experience developing electrical hardware.
• Expertise in electronic component selection, analysis, simulation, schematics, and layout.
• Knowledge of analog and power circuit design including ADC/DAC, op-amps, filtering, power and signal integrity.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting complex electronics problems at the board level.
• Ability to communicate technical challenges, explain rationale and resolve concerns.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own circuit boards for spacecraft propulsion systems, focusing on actuator drivers and power converters.
• Perform analyses and simulations to support design decisions.
• Own hardware design from requirements through board bring-up and flight operations.
• Define hardware interfaces and verification approaches.
• Collaborate with firmware, software, mechanical, manufacturing, propulsion, and test teams.
• Conduct development testing of hardware in the lab.
• Conduct design reviews, trade studies, and root-cause investigations.
• Mentor less experienced engineers and improve products over lifecycle.
• Improve existing products through failure analysis and improvements.

Skills

Circuit analysis

Electronic component selection

Troubleshooting electronics

Hardware design expertise

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Altium Designer

SPICE / SIMPLIS simulations

Circuit board layout

Job description

Senior Avionics Electrical Engineer (Electric Propulsion)

Department: Electric Propulsion

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Redondo Beach

Compensation: $140,000 - $180,000 / year

Description

As a Senior Avionics Electrical Engineer at Impulse, you will design and test custom circuit boards and other avionics devices that power Electra, our electric propulsion system. You will own electrical hardware designs and technical decisions, working directly with software engineers, propulsion engineers, GNC engineers, and others. You will contribute to all aspects of spacecraft electronics development, from sub-system requirements definition through circuit-board design, testing, debugging, integrating onto space vehicles, and operating in space.

Responsibilities

• Independently develop and own circuit boards for spacecraft electric propulsion systems, with an emphasis on actuator drivers and/or power converters
• Perform rigorous analyses and simulations of avionics devices and systems including subsystem and circuit-level trade studies, analyses, and simulations to support design decisions
• Act as the Responsible Engineering authority for your hardware, owning your design from requirements definition through detailed design, board bring-up and debugging in the lab through qualification and flight operations
• Define hardware interfaces, develop verification approaches, and ensure requirements are verified through analysis and test from system-level specifications
• Partner with firmware, software, mechanical, manufacturing, propulsion, and test teams
• Perform development testing of hardware in the lab, from single electrical designs to entire electrical systems
• Conduct design reviews, technical trade studies, and root-cause investigations
• Establish and maintain high technical standards and mentor less experienced engineers
• Improve existing products throughout their lifecycle by troubleshooting issues, performing failure analysis of parts and systems, and implementing improvements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field
• 5+ years of professional experience developing electrical hardware
• Demonstrate expertise in electronic component selection, analysis, simulation, schematics, and layout
• Knowledge of analog and power circuit design including analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, op-amps, filtering, power and signal integrity, etc.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting complex electronics problems at the board level
• Ability to communicate technical challenges, explain rationale and/or resolve concerns

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated experience with Altium Designer
• Demonstrated experience doing new development and hands-on work for any of the following: power converters, analog and digital electronics, load switches, engine controllers, or any other specialized area relevant to spacecraft or rockets
• Experience with radiation-tolerant electrical design including component selection, derating, SEE mitigation, and fault-tolerant architecture
• Experience in a startup or agile development environment
• Experience with Spice and/or SIMPLIS simulation engines

Additional Information:

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse 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.