Senior Photonics Electrical Engineer — Hybrid, Equity & PTO

Observable Space

Los Angeles (CA)

Hybrid

USD 120,000 - 170,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Equity opportunities

Hybrid work

Unlimited PTO

Health, dental, vision

Cutting-edge tools

Mission-driven culture

Inclusive team

Job summary

Observable Space is recruiting an Electrical Engineer, Photonics, to design, integrate, and validate photonic and electro-optical systems for ground and space environments. You will own electrical interfaces, detectors, laser-based systems, and high-speed signal chains, collaborating with optical, mechanical, and software teams to meet performance under thermal vacuum and radiation.

Join a fast-paced hardware team delivering robust, space-ready electronics across the product line, with emphasis

Qualifications

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
5+ years of experience in electrical engineering with a focus on photonics, electro-optical systems, or high-performance sensor design.
Strong proficiency in analog and mixed-signal circuit design, particularly for low-noise and high-speed applications.
Experience designing and debugging PCBs, including schematic capture, layout collaboration, and board bring-up.
Hands-on experience with photodetectors, imaging sensors, or optical instrumentation and their associated signal chains.
Familiarity with high-speed interfaces and data acquisition systems used in imaging or sensing applications.
Strong understanding of signal integrity, noise analysis, grounding, shielding, and power distribution in sensitive systems.
Experience using lab instrumentation such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators to debug complex systems.
Ability to read and interpret schematics, debug at the electrical level, and work closely with cross-functional teams.
Comfortable working in fast-paced, iterative hardware environments with rapid design-build-test cycles.
Strong product mindset with an emphasis on reliability, robustness, and performance in real-world conditions.

Responsibilities

Design and develop electrical systems for photonic and electro-optical subsystems, including detectors, sensors, laser interfaces, and high-speed data acquisition chains.
Own schematic capture, PCB design, and bring-up for low-noise analog and mixed-signal circuits supporting optical instrumentation.
Develop and optimize signal chains for photodetectors (e.g., CMOS, CCD, APD, SPAD), including amplification, filtering, digitization, and noise mitigation.
Design for signal integrity and low-noise performance in high-sensitivity optical systems, including grounding, shielding, and layout strategies.
Bring up and validate high-speed interfaces such as MIPI, LVDS, JESD, or similar data links used in imaging and sensor systems.
Collaborate with optical engineers to define electrical interfaces, alignment sensitivities, and performance requirements across optomechanical assemblies.
Support integration and test of electro-optical systems, including lab characterization, calibration, and debugging of edge-case behaviors.
Develop and execute validation and qualification plans for hardware operating in harsh environments, including thermal-vacuum and vibration conditions.
Select components and materials compatible with space and high-reliability applications, including consideration of radiation effects, thermal drift, and long-term stability.
Contribute to system architecture decisions that balance performance, power, bandwidth, and reliability across the full product stack.
Participate in design reviews to ensure manufacturability, testability, and long-term serviceability of photonic systems.