Senior Electrical Engineer, Space Systems Fellow

Trident Systems Inc; Fairfax (VA); On-site; USD 163,000 - 269,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Life insurance with AD&D

Short term disability

Long term disability

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Holidays

Annual discretionary bonus

Job summary

Trident Systems Inc in Fairfax, VA seeks a Technical Fellow to lead space hardware engineering, architect high‑performance space computer hardware, and guide design across the lifecycle from requirements through on‑orbit support.

The role requires deep expertise in power systems, radiation effects, high‑speed signaling, and mentoring engineers, with responsibility for reviews and technical strategy in an aerospace environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related technical degree.
• 15+ years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree OR 13+ years with a Master’s degree OR 10+ years with a doctorate, including at least 8 years designing space or aerospace electronics.
• Experience with mixed-signal PCA development, utilizing High Density Interconnect (HDI) PCBs and high speed (>10 GHz) and serial (SerDes) components/circuits operating at >10 Gbps.
• Experience with FPGA and microprocessor development, including hardware descriptor languages (i.e. Verilog, VHDL)
• Experience with hardware integration, test, and debug tools such as logic analyzers, scopes, emulators
• Demonstrated experience implementing PCIe, VME, or VPX standards (VITA 46, VITA 65, VITA 78)
• Experience leading formal hardware design review milestones (e.g., PDR, CDR, TRR) for complex or first-of-kind programs
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering electronic hardware for space flight applications, including at least one design operating on orbit
• Space power systems design experience, including power architecture, radiation-tolerant DC-DC conversion and regulation, sequencing, protection, and power integrity
• Mitigating internal spacecraft charging and discharge effects, including shielding, grounding, and bonding practices (NASA-HDBK-4002)
• High-speed signaling design and analysis (SerDes >10 Gbps; PCIe, SpaceFibre, high-speed Ethernet)
• Capability to lead and mentor engineers and influence customers, executive leadership, and industry

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship for discipline engineers
• Subject matter expert for space electronics hardware engineering discipline, including power systems, internal spacecraft charging, radiation effects, and high-speed signaling; final review and sign-off authority on complex designs
• Architect and lead space computer hardware development process: requirements specification, characterization, simulation, high-speed digital and SerDes design (>10 Gbps)
• Set the architecture for high-performance space computers balancing processing, memory, interconnect, power, thermal, SWaP, reliability, and radiation tolerance
• Cognizant engineer for the power system across the hardware stack — architecture, radiation-tolerant conversion, sequencing, protection, power integrity
• Establish and enforce design practices for internal spacecraft charging mitigation, grounding, and EMI/EMC
• Manage radiation effects analysis and mitigation including fault-tolerant design (EDAC, scrubbing, redundancy)
• Lead high-speed signaling design and analysis: SerDes links (>10 Gbps), channel modeling, signal integrity, jitter budgeting
• Chair design and peer reviews of design work and documentation (PDR, CDR, TRR)
• Provide technical direction to discipline team, other engineering teams, PMO, EGD and VP
• Provide hands-on technical leadership to programs as needed
• Lead technical strategy and solution architecture for business development efforts
• Represent Trident Systems Engineering with customers, vendors, and industry interfaces
• Define and drive ES technology roadmap and IRAD investment priorities
• Travel or off-site work as needed
• Perform other duties as assigned

Skills

Technical leadership

Space hardware design

High-speed signaling

Power system design

Radiation effects mitigation

Design reviews (PDR/CDR/TRR)

Mentorship

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering or related technical degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Doctorate (preferred)

Tools

Verilog

VHDL

FPGA development

HDI PCBs

SerDes design (>10 Gbps)

PCIe/VME/VPX experience

Logic analyzers & oscilloscopes

Job description

Trident Systems Inc in Fairfax, VA seeks a Technical Fellow to lead space hardware engineering, architect high‑performance space computer hardware, and guide design across the lifecycle from requirements through on‑orbit support.

The role requires deep expertise in power systems, radiation effects, high‑speed signaling, and mentoring engineers, with responsibility for reviews and technical strategy in an aerospace environment.