Senior Spaceflight Electronics Design Engineer

University of Colorado Boulder; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Tuition assistance

ECO Pass for local transit

Job summary

University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) seeks a senior electrical engineer to lead hands-on hardware development from architecture to flight integration. You will own complex flight and ground electronics, drive requirements, and guide critical design decisions with cross-disciplinary teams.

The role demands deep expertise in at least one domain (analog/sensor electronics, power, motor control, embedded or digital hardware, or high-speed design) and a

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or closely related field with at least 10 years of relevant experience.
• Deep ownership of complex electronic assemblies or subsystems from requirements through production, qualification, and integration.
• Experience leading a technical team or engineering work package and communicating risk to program leadership.
• Strong schematic/PCB design, circuit simulation, analysis, and lab troubleshooting skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the electrical architecture and technical baseline for complex flight circuit-card assemblies, instrument electrical systems, or small-spacecraft electrical systems.
• Translate mission needs into practical requirements, interfaces, budgets, grounding, verification plans, and implementation decisions.
• Lead trades on performance, radiation, reliability, parts availability, manufacturability, thermal and mechanical constraints, cost, schedule, and life.
• Guide design reviews, PCB implementation, board bring-up, environmental qualification, EMI/EMC troubleshooting, failure investigations, and integration.
• May lead a small technical team and provide program leadership with risk, readiness, staffing, budget, and supplier recommendations.
• Other duties assigned.

Skills

Electrical engineering expertise

Leadership of technical team

Schematic/PCB design

Circuit simulation & analysis

High-consequence hardware experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering

Job description

Job Summary

At the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), ourengineers build flight and ground electronics for scientificinstruments and spacecraft exploring Earth, the Sun, the Moon,planets, and the wider universe. We are looking for a seniorelectrical engineer who is driven to explore and can see the wholesystem, make sound decisions when constraints compete, and enjoys ajob requiring hands-on hardware development work.

You may have built your career in low-noise analog and sensorelectronics, power conversion, motor control, embedded systems, orhigh-speed digital hardware. We do not expect one person to be anexpert in every domain. What matters is deep capability in at leastone area, broad electrical judgment, and a record of leadingcomplex hardware from an early architecture through qualificationand integration.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with allapplicable federal, state, and local laws governingnondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating aworkplace where all individuals are treated with respect anddignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds toapply, including protected veterans and individuals withdisabilities.

Who We Are

LASP combines the agility of a university laboratory with thetechnical capability of a premier space mission organization.Engineers work directly alongside scientists, students, and missionoperators, allowing technical decisions to move quickly whilemaintaining scientific excellence.

As part of the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), LASP began in1948 and is a world-recognized space science research institutethat implements the full life cycle of science missions from thedefinition of the science questions through the development ofspace flight hardware and the subsequent mission operations. We arethe only research institute in the world to have sent scienceinstruments to all eight planets, Pluto, and beyond the solarsystem.

LASP combines all aspects of space exploration through ourexpertise in science, engineering, mission operations, andscientific data analysis. As part of CU, LASP also works to educateand train the next generation of space scientists, engineers andmission operators by integrating undergraduate and graduatestudents into working teams. Our students take their uniqueexperiences with them into government or industry or remain inacademia to continue the cycle of exploration.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

What you will do

• Own the electrical architecture and technical baseline forcomplex flight circuit-card assemblies, instrument electricalsystems, or small-spacecraft electrical systems. Build the circuitcard from schematic capture, manage layout, and lead laboratorystartup testing.
• Translate mission needs into practical requirements,interfaces, power and performance budgets, grounding andfault-management concepts, verification plans, and implementationdecisions.
• Contribute to or lead trades on performance, radiation,reliability, parts availability, manufacturability, thermal andmechanical constraints, cost, schedule, and mission life.
• Guide design reviews, PCB implementation, board bring-up,environmental qualification, EMI/EMC troubleshooting, failureinvestigations, and spacecraft or instrument integration.
• You may also lead a small technical team and give programleadership clear recommendations on risk, readiness, staffing,budget, schedule, suppliers, and the path to flight.
• Other duties assigned

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will work closelywith systems, FPGA, software, mechanical, thermal, science,quality, parts, radiation, manufacturing, and program teams.Depending on the mission, you may serve as the responsible engineerfor an electrical board or subsystem or lead electrical engineerfor an instrument or small spacecraft.

What You Should Know

• Because this position requires access to export-controlledinformation, applicants must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanentresidents, or other protected individuals as defined by applicableU.S. export-control laws.
• The work requires regular onsite presence in Boulder for flighthardware, laboratory work, and integration.
• Occasional travel and work outside normal business hours may beneeded during critical test, integration, or launchactivities.

What We Can Offer

$120,416.44-$ 189,585.27.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we arecommitted to supporting the holistic health and well-being of ouremployees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical,dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuitionassistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for localtransit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulderoffers an inspiring academic community and access to world-classoutdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs throughthe CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be ambitious. Be groundbreaking. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• A bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, ComputerEngineering, or a closely related field with at least 10 years ofrelevant experience; advanced engineering degrees in relevantfields may be considered as contribution to your experience.
• Technical ownership of complex electronic assemblies orsubsystems, including at least one carried from requirements andarchitecture through production, qualification, andintegration.
• Deep expertise in at least one relevant domain - analog orsensor electronics, power, motor control, embedded or digitalhardware, or high-speed digital design - plus breadth acrossadjacent disciplines.
• Experience leading a technical team or engineering work packageand communicating technical, cost, schedule, and readiness risk toprogram leadership.
• Practical fluency with schematic/PCB design and review, circuitsimulation and analysis, and electronics laboratory test andtroubleshooting.
• Experience with spaceflight or other high-consequence hardware.Your experience could include NASA or comparable assurancepractices, radiation-tolerant design, EEE parts, EMI/EMC,FPGA-enabled architectures, automated test, or supplier oversightwould be valuable - but no candidate is expected to bring all ofthese.
• Strong candidates build expertise in different ways. If thiswork excites you and you meet the core qualifications, please applyeven if your experience does not match every preferredqualification.

What You Will Need

You are comfortable making progress when requirements areincomplete and several risks interact. You can move betweenarchitecture, schematic and PCB review, circuit analysis,laboratory troubleshooting, supplier conversations, and programdecisions without losing the technical thread. You communicateassumptions and residual risk plainly, mentor other engineers, andbuild the documentation and configuration discipline needed forreproducible, reviewable flight hardware. You are motivated byLASP’s mission of exploration and furthering humanity’sunderstanding of the cosmos.