Senior Avionics Engineer – Space Systems

Rocket Lab Corporation; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab Optical Systems in Tucson, AZ 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 systems, mechanical, thermal, optical, and software teams.

The role emphasizes FPGA and analog electronics with opportunities to mentor junior engineers and interface with suppliers, manufacturing, and internal

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical or computer engineering or related field.
• 8+ years of electrical hardware design experience.
• Experience with FPGA design and embedded processors.
• Ability to develop new design concepts from scratch.
• Knowledge of analog electronics and SPICE analysis.
• Proficiency in circuit analyses and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Own complete lifecycle of avionics hardware for EO systems.
• Lead architecture decisions for EO sensor capabilities across missions.
• Design and integrate electronics including FPGA, microcontroller, ADC/DAC, VPX.
• Develop payload-level designs with motor controllers, processing units, imagers, crypto devices.
• Perform schematic capture and PCBA layout using Altium Designer.
• Support design verification, environmental testing, and production readiness.

Skills

Electrical hardware design

FPGA design

Embedded processors

Circuit analysis (SPICE)

System integration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical or computer engineering

Master’s or PhD in electrical/computer engineering (nice to have)

Tools

Altium Designer

Electrical test equipment (scope, DMM)

Job description

Rocket Lab Optical Systems in Tucson, AZ 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 systems, mechanical, thermal, optical, and software teams.

The role emphasizes FPGA and analog electronics with opportunities to mentor junior engineers and interface with suppliers, manufacturing, and internal