Senior Ground Station Systems Engineer New San Francisco

Astranis; San Francisco, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity and stock options

Robust benefits package

On-site catered meals

Job summary

Astranis is seeking a Senior Ground Station Systems Engineer to design, develop, deploy, and operate satellite ground systems for commercial and US Government programs. You will bridge customer requirements, system architecture, and implementation across RF networks, antennas, modems, and control systems.

The role requires strong RF fundamentals, experience with DSP or waveform development, and ability to contribute to proposals, cost estimates, and customer-facing solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering required.
• 5+ years in satellite communications, ground systems, or RF engineering.
• Strong RF fundamentals: amplifiers, RF chains, modulation/coding.
• Experience with antenna design, calibration, diagnostics, and testing.
• Experience supporting technical proposals, bids, or captures.
• Ability to develop technical documentation and communicate complex concepts.
• Willing to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
• Strong project management skills and sense of urgency.
• Willing to travel up to 20%.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and support satellite ground station architectures including antennas, RF systems, modems, networking, monitoring and control systems.
• Perform link budget analysis and support system performance assessments for GEO and MEO systems.
• Develop technical requirements, interface definitions, architecture diagrams, and system design documentation.
• Collaborate with spacecraft, network operations, mission operations, and software teams to ensure end-to-end performance.
• Serve as a technical contributor for proposals, RFIs, and white papers.
• Develop technical volumes, solution architectures, and basis-of-estimate documentation.
• Support customer technical interchange meetings, design reviews, and demonstrations.
• Evaluate customer requirements and translate them into ground segment solutions.
• Assist with risk assessments, schedule development, and cost estimation.
• Work with business development during capture and pursuit activities.

Skills

RF fundamentals

Antenna systems

DSP / waveform development

Proposals & cost estimates

Customer-facing solutions

RF test equipment

Project management

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

GNU Radio

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

Job description

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today, Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe— large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military. With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts.

Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization. Astranis has raised over $750 million from some of the world’s best investors, from Andreessen Horowitz to Blackrock and Fidelity, and employs a team of 450 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

Senior Ground Station Systems Engineer

Astranis is seeking a Senior Ground Station Systems Engineer to support the design, development, deployment, and operation of satellite ground systems across both commercial and U.S. Government programs. This role combines technical engineering with proposal and capture support, requiring an individual who can bridge customer requirements, system architecture, and implementation.

The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of RF communications, satellite ground infrastructure, and systems engineering principles, along with experience contributing to technical proposals, cost estimates, and customer-facing solution development. Experience with Digital Signal Processing (DSP), modem architectures, or waveform development is highly desirable.

This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys both developing satellite ground systems and shaping the technical solutions that win new business.

Role

• Design, develop, and support satellite ground station architectures, including antennas, RF systems, modems, networking, monitoring and control systems, and associated infrastructure.
• Perform link budget analysis and support system performance assessments for GEO and MEO satellite systems.
• Develop technical requirements, interface definitions, architecture diagrams, and system design documentation.
• Collaborate with spacecraft, network operations, mission operations, and software teams to ensure end-to-end system performance.
• Serve as a technical contributor for commercial and USG proposals, RFPs, RFIs, and white papers.
• Develop technical volumes, solution architectures, compliance matrices, and basis-of-estimate documentation.
• Support customer technical interchange meetings, design reviews, customer demonstrations and proposal presentations.
• Evaluate customer requirements and translate them into scalable, cost-effective ground segment solutions.
• Assist with technical risk assessments, schedule development, and cost estimation activities.
• Work closely with business development and program management teams during capture and pursuit activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in an applicable field in engineering
• 5+ years of experience in satellite communications, ground systems engineering, RF engineering, or related disciplines.
• Strong understanding of RF communications fundamentals, including:
• Amplifiers and RF chains
• Modulation and coding techniques
• Experience with RF electronics and communication systems including RF front-end equipment, back-end equipment, communication hardware, etc.
• Experience with antenna system design and operations including calibration, diagnostics, monitoring, etc.
• Experience using RF test equipment (spectrum analyzer and signal generator) and troubleshooting RF components
• Experience supporting technical proposals, bids, captures, or customer solution development.
• Ability to develop technical documentation and communicate complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Willing and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
• Strong project management skills and able to demonstrate a high sense of urgency
• Willing to travel 20% of the timeLifting, standing, climbing, bending, grasping, sitting, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying are generally required to perform the functions of this position

Bonus

• Background in Digital Signal Processing (DSP), including modem design, waveform development, channelization, beamforming, or digital communications systems.
• Experience with FPGA-based signal processing platforms.
• Familiarity with GNU Radio, MATLAB, Simulink, Python, or SDR-based development environments.
• Knowledge of advanced SATCOM technologies including phased arrays, adaptive coding and modulation, and digital payload architectures.
• Experience with commercial and government proposals
• Familiarity with antenna control units and tracking systems
• Familiarity with spectrum management
• Familiarity with networking (Ethernet, IP, TCP)
• Comfortable scripting, preferably in Python

What we offer:

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

$180,000 - $240,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Astranis’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A “disabled veteran” is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A “recently separated veteran” means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An “active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran” means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An “Armed forces service medal veteran” means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

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OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 07/31/2029

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