Senior Electrical Engineer (Prism)

Northwood Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 122,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwood Space in Los Angeles, CA is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to own the non-RF electronics design for Prism, a 2.4-meter parabolic antenna for high-throughput satellite links. You will design the digital compute, power, embedded, and mixed-signal hardware from block diagram through production release.

The role requires 5+ years in electronics hardware, hands-on experience with high-speed digital systems, FPGA/microcontroller domains, and board-level clocking and power distribution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of professional experience designing electronics hardware, owning boards from schematic through bring-up.
• Hands-on design experience with high-speed digital systems built around FPGAs and/or microcontrollers.
• Experience designing board-level clocking and power distribution for complex digital systems.
• Proficiency in schematic capture and PCB stack-up definition for complex multilayer boards.
• Working knowledge of signal integrity, power integrity, and EMI/EMC design practices.
• Preferred: design experience with dense, high-pin-count FPGAs and DDR/SerDes interfaces.
• Low-jitter clock design and power electronics design experience.
• Embedded hardware design with common interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, Ethernet).
• Mixed-signal design with precision analog and sensor interfaces.
• Lab skills with oscilloscopes and analyzers; soldering and rework.
• Python for test automation and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own the electrical design of Prism's non-RF electronics: high-speed digital, power electronics, embedded control, and mixed-signal circuits.
• Architect and design high-density boards with FPGAs, microcontrollers, high-speed data converters, and peripherals (DDR, SerDes, 10/100G Ethernet).
• Define clocking architectures: reference selection, clock distribution, jitter budgets, synchronization across boards.
• Design power trees end-to-end from input power to point-of-load regulators, sequencing, monitoring, and protection.
• Design mixed-signal interfaces between digital and analog/RF domains, including ADC/DAC front ends and sensor/telemetry circuits.
• Drive schematic capture, define PCB stack-ups, and lead layout of complex multilayer boards focusing on signal integrity, power integrity, and EMI/EMC.
• Lead board bring-up and design verification, iterating designs for performance, cost, and manufacturability.

Skills

High-speed digital design

FPGA and microcontroller experience

Schematic capture

Signal integrity

Power distribution design

Embedded control

EMI/EMC design

Clocking design

Python for test automation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Spectrum analyzers

Network analyzers

Electronic loads

Soldering / hot air rework

Job description

About Northwood:

Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. With a vertically integrated approach, Northwood designs, builds, and rapidly deploys scalable systems that power the next generation of space missions. If you like solving complex challenges and seeing your work deployed around the world with real impact, Northwood is the place to do it.

Role:
Northwood is looking for a Senior Electrical Engineer to own the non-RF electronics design for Prism, our 2.4-meter parabolic antenna for high-throughput satellite links. You will design the digital compute, power, embedded, and mixed-signal hardware that sits alongside Prism's RF chain- from block diagram and component selection through schematic, layout, bring-up, and production release.

Responsibilities

• Own the electrical design of Prism's non-RF electronics: high-speed digital, power electronics, embedded control, and mixed-signal circuits

• Architect and design high-density boards built around FPGAs, microcontrollers, high-speed data converters, and their peripherals, including DDR memory, multi-gigabit SerDes, and 10/100G Ethernet

• Define clocking architectures: reference selection, clock distribution, jitter budgets, and synchronization across boards and subsystems

• Design power trees end to end, from input power and conversion stages to point-of-load regulators, sequencing, monitoring, and protection

• Design mixed-signal interfaces between digital and analog/RF domains, including ADC/DAC front ends, control loops, and sensor and telemetry circuits

• Drive schematic capture, define PCB stack-ups, and lead layout of complex multilayer boards with a focus on signal integrity, power integrity, and EMI/EMC

• Lead board bring-up and design verification, characterizing performance in the lab and iterating designs for performance, cost, and manufacturability

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related engineering discipline

• 5+ years of professional experience designing electronics hardware, with ownership of boards from schematic through bring-up

• Hands-on design experience with high-speed digital systems built around FPGAs and/or microcontrollers

• Experience designing board-level clocking and power distribution for complex digital systems

• Proficiency in schematic capture, PCB stack-up definition, and layout of complex multilayer boards

• Working knowledge of signal integrity, power integrity, and EMI/EMC design practices

Preferred Qualifications

• Design experience with dense, high-pin-count FPGAs (e.g., AMD/Xilinx UltraScale+ or RFSoC) and the DDR, SerDes, and JESD204B/C interfaces around them

• Low-jitter clock design: PLLs, jitter cleaners, clock fan-out, and clocking for high-speed data converters

• Power electronics design: DC-DC converters, multiphase and point-of-load regulators, sequencing, hot-swap, and protection circuits

• Embedded hardware design for microcontroller-based control and monitoring, with common interfaces such as I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, and Ethernet

• Mixed-signal design, including precision analog, data converter front ends, and sensor interfaces

• Lab skills with oscilloscopes, spectrum and network analyzers, and electronic loads, plus soldering and hot air rework

• Python (or similar) for test automation and data analysis

Compensation:

Electrical Engineer/Level 3: $122,400-$153,000 per year

Electrical Engineer/Level 4: $144,000-$180,000 per year

Electrical Engineer/Level 5: $180,000-$225,000 per year

Additional Information:

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

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