Senior Avionics Engineer II - EO Space Systems

Rocket Lab Corporation; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 134,000 - 201,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab Optical Systems in Chantilly, VA seeks a Senior Electrical Engineer II to lead avionics hardware development for electro-optical systems. You will own the full hardware lifecycle from requirements through design, prototyping, testing and production, collaborating with diverse engineering teams.

The role emphasizes FPGA-rich PCBA design, analog electronics and system integration to support space-enabled missions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical or computer engineering or other engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of electrical hardware design experience.
• Able to develop 'blank sheet of paper' design concepts.
• Experience in PCBA design with FPGAs.
• Knowledge of processors, FPGAs, switch mode power supplies, interfaces and analog instrumentation.
• Strong background in analog electronics design.
• Proficiency performing circuit analyses using SPICE and Excel.
• U.S. citizenship is required.

Responsibilities

• Own complete lifecycle of avionics hardware for command and control of electro-optical systems.
• Lead architecture decisions to advance EO sensor capabilities across missions.
• Design and integrate complex electronics including FPGA, microcontroller, ADC/DAC, VPX systems.
• Develop Payload level designs integrating controllers, processing units, imagers, and cryptographic devices.
• Perform schematic capture and PCBA layout using Altium Designer.
• Develop PCBA requirements with cross-functional teams.
• Plan and execute design verification testing and system integration testing.
• Support production manufacturing and DFM reviews.

Skills

Avionics hardware design

FPGA design

Electronics circuit analysis

Leadership / mentoring

S. citizenship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical or computer engineering

Master’s or PhD (nice to have)

Tools

Altium Designer

SPICE

Excel

Job description

Rocket Lab Optical Systems in Chantilly, VA seeks a Senior Electrical Engineer II to lead avionics hardware development for electro-optical systems. You will own the full hardware lifecycle from requirements through design, prototyping, testing and production, collaborating with diverse engineering teams.

The role emphasizes FPGA-rich PCBA design, analog electronics and system integration to support space-enabled missions.