Senior Space Radiation Effects & Avionics Reliability Engineer

Cowboy Space Corporation; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per calendar year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Office lunch

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. in Seattle, WA, is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer, Radiation Effects & Reliability, to ensure spacecraft electronics survive the harsh space environment from architecture through on-orbit operations.

You will own radiation assurance and reliability, lead radiation test campaigns (SEE, TID, SEE), translate environmental data into robust design decisions, and drive system‑level resilience across interfaces.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 4+ years of experience in radiation effects, avionics reliability, or high-reliability electronics.
• Hands-on experience with radiation testing (SEE, TID) and familiarity with test methodologies and data analysis.
• Experience with reliability engineering methods (FMEA/FMECA, FTA, derating, WCCA).
• Strong understanding of electronic components (FPGAs, ASICs, power systems, mixed-signal circuits) and failure mechanisms in harsh environments.

Responsibilities

• Own radiation effects and reliability across spacecraft electrical systems—from early architecture through on-orbit operations
• Define radiation and reliability requirements, translating mission environments into component- and system-level specifications
• Plan and execute radiation test campaigns (heavy ion, proton, gamma/TID) for components including FPGAs, ASICs, power electronics, and COTS parts
• Characterize and analyze SEE, TID, and displacement damage; document results and drive design decisions
• Develop and implement avionics reliability strategies, including redundancy, fault detection/isolation/recovery (FDIR), derating, and robustness in degraded modes
• Design and implement mitigation techniques (ECC, watchdogs, latch‑up protection, shielding) at both component and system levels
• Perform reliability analyses such as FMEA/FMECA, fault tree analysis (FTA), and worst‑case circuit analysis (WCCA)
• Establish and maintain approved parts lists (APL) with a focus on radiation performance, reliability, and supply chain considerations
• Model radiation environments for LEO missions and conduct system-level risk assessments and margin analyses
• Partner cross‑functionally with avionics, hardware, and software teams to ensure resilient, fault‑tolerant system architectures
• Drive radiation assurance and reliability processes across the full lifecycle—from design and qualification through launch and on-orbit operations

Skills

Radiation testing

Reliability engineering

Electronics components

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in related field

Tools

SPENVIS

OMERE

NOVICE

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. in Seattle, WA, is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer, Radiation Effects & Reliability, to ensure spacecraft electronics survive the harsh space environment from architecture through on-orbit operations.

You will own radiation assurance and reliability, lead radiation test campaigns (SEE, TID, SEE), translate environmental data into robust design decisions, and drive system‑level resilience across interfaces.