Lead Flight Electronics & Avionics Electrical Engineer

Space Kinetic; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Base Salary + Equity-Based Compensation

Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage

Job summary

Space Kinetic in El Segundo, CA seeks a Senior Flight Electronics & Avionics Electrical Engineer to develop and validate flight-critical electrical systems for spacecraft. You will collaborate with engineering teams and support hardware integration and testing processes.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, 7+ years of experience in aerospace systems, and strong problem-solving skills. Competitive salary and benefits package offered.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional electrical engineering experience.
• Experience designing complex electrical systems for aerospace and defense.
• Ability to read and create electrical drawings and test procedures.

Responsibilities

• Own the design and integration of flight-critical electrical systems.
• Develop schematics and electrical architectures.
• Perform component selection and reliability assessments.
• Support hardware bring-up and qualification testing.

Skills

Electrical systems design

Analog and digital circuit design

Troubleshooting

Schematic capture and PCB design

Communication protocols (CAN, Ethernet, etc.)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

PCB design tools

Electrical simulation tools

Job description

Senior Flight Electronics & Avionics Electrical Engineer

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

Who We Are:

Drones have fundamentally changed the nature of conflict and maneuver. The next theater to be changed by drone technology is space. Space Kinetic is a space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of drone technology to space missions without relying on consumable fuel.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40‑hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first‑of‑its‑kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

Position Overview

As a Senior Flight Electronics & Avionics Electrical Engineer, you will own the design, development, integration, and testing of flight‑critical electrical systems for launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will work closely with mechanical, software, GNC, propulsion, and systems engineers to develop hardware that performs reliably in some of the most demanding environments imaginable.

What You’ll Do

• Design, develop, and validate flight electronics, avionics, power distribution systems, and vehicle electrical architectures.
• Develop schematics, PCB designs, cable harnesses, grounding strategies, and electrical interfaces for launch vehicle subsystems.
• Define electrical requirements and interface specifications for vehicle systems and payload integrations.
• Support architecture development for vehicle power systems, telemetry, command and control systems, sensors, actuators, and flight computers.
• Perform component selection, electrical analyses, worst‑case analyses, and reliability assessments.
• Support hardware bring‑up, debugging, troubleshooting, and qualification testing.
• Develop and execute electrical test plans for subsystem and integrated vehicle testing.
• Work closely with flight software and GNC teams to integrate sensors, controllers, and avionics hardware.
• Support environmental testing including vibration, thermal vacuum, EMI/EMC, and system‑level qualification campaigns.
• Participate in launch campaigns, vehicle integration activities, and anomaly investigations.
• Drive hardware from concept through flight, including rapid design iterations and hands‑on testing.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of professional electrical engineering experience.
• Experience designing complex electrical systems for aerospace, defense, spacecraft, launch vehicles, aircraft, robotics, or other high‑reliability applications.
• Strong understanding of analog and digital circuit design.
• Experience with schematic capture and PCB design tools.
• Experience troubleshooting electrical hardware in laboratory and test environments.
• Ability to read and create electrical drawings, interface control documents, and test procedures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 9+ years of professional electrical engineering experience.
• Experience with launch vehicles, spacecraft, satellites, missile systems, or aerospace flight hardware.
• Experience with power electronics, battery systems, and power distribution architectures.
• Experience designing avionics and flight electronics.
• Experience with communication protocols such as CAN, Ethernet, RS‑422, RS‑485, SPI, I2C, and UART.
• Experience with FPGA‑based systems, embedded processors, or flight computers.
• Knowledge of EMI/EMC design practices and qualification testing.
• Experience with environmental testing including vibration, shock, thermal, and vacuum testing.
• Familiarity with aerospace standards and high‑reliability design methodologies.
• Experience working in fast‑paced development environments where hardware is rapidly designed, tested, and iterated.
• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen or national, or a lawful permanent resident.
• Ability to maintain or obtain a Government Security Clearance.

What You’ll Bring

• Strong technical judgment and engineering fundamentals.
• A hands‑on approach to problem solving.
• Ability to work across multiple disciplines and drive issues to closure.
• Comfort operating in an environment with ambitious schedules and challenging technical goals.
• A desire to see hardware through the full lifecycle—from concept and design to launch and flight operations.

Where You’ll Be

The position will be on site at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA.

What We Offer

• Competitive Base Salary + Equity‑Based Compensation
• Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen or national, or a lawful permanent resident.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Space Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

Pay Range

$160,000 – $180,000