Space-Grade Electrical Engineer, Propulsion & Hardware

Xona Space Systems; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona Space Systems in Burlingame, CA is seeking an Electrical Engineer to join the satellite development team. You will design, develop, and integrate electrical systems powering spacecraft propulsion, collaborating with firmware and power electronics engineers to ensure reliability in harsh space environments.

This hands-on role leads hardware design, lab testing, and debugging, from concept through flight, including embedded microcontroller hardware, power tree design, precision sensor

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 2+ years taking mixed-signal designs from schematics to manufacturing and lab bring-up.
• Familiarity with Altium, KiCad or SPICE for design and simulation.
• Strong understanding of mixed-signal electronics, power conversion, and signal integrity.
• Hands-on experience with embedded microcontroller hardware and peripheral interfaces (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, RS-422).
• Experience with lab testing and Python scripting for automation.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop electrical subsystems for spacecraft propulsion electronics.
• Lead schematic capture and multi-layer PCB layout from breadboard to flight hardware.
• Design, tune, and validate DC/DC converters and driver stages.
• Implement precision analog front-ends for telemetry, including sensors and temperature monitoring.
• Collaborate with firmware engineers to define hardware/firmware interfaces.
• Conduct hardware reviews and support component sourcing with derating and standards compliance.
• Develop and execute electrical test plans and Python data logging scripts.
• Support integration and environmental testing (TVAC, vibration, EMI/EMC).

Skills

Embedded systems

Hardware design

Power electronics

Circuit design

Sensor interfaces

Python scripting

Education

B.S. in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Altium

KiCad

SPICE

Job description

Xona Space Systems in Burlingame, CA is seeking an Electrical Engineer to join the satellite development team. You will design, develop, and integrate electrical systems powering spacecraft propulsion, collaborating with firmware and power electronics engineers to ensure reliability in harsh space environments.

This hands-on role leads hardware design, lab testing, and debugging, from concept through flight, including embedded microcontroller hardware, power tree design, precision sensor