Spacecraft Power Electronics Engineer

Socket.dev; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per calendar year

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp in San Carlos, CA is seeking a Power Avionics Engineer to lead the design, development, and integration of high‑power spacecraft power electronics for solar arrays and compute payloads.

Collaborate with software, mechanical, solar, and propulsion teams to meet demanding performance standards for space applications and contribute to a vision of space‑based energy and secure data transmission from orbit.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience designing or testing power electronics or avionics systems.
• Strong understanding of power electronics fundamentals (DC-DC conversion, control systems, power distribution).
• Experience with schematic capture, PCB design, and board bring-up.
• Familiarity with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads) and debugging techniques.
• Experience working in high-reliability or hardware-focused environments.

Responsibilities

• Own the design, development, and validation of spacecraft power electronics systems from concept through flight
• Architect and implement power distribution systems, including power management, conversion, and regulation for spacecraft subsystems
• Design and analyze DC-DC converters, battery management systems (BMS), and power control electronics for high-reliability environments
• Develop and execute test plans for power systems, including functional, environmental, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
• Perform system-level analysis of power budgets, efficiency, thermal performance, and fault conditions
• Implement protection and fault management strategies (overcurrent, overvoltage, short circuit, latch-up protection)
• Partner closely with structures, thermal, software, and payload teams to ensure seamless integration of power systems
• Support board bring-up, integration, and debugging of power electronics in lab and flight environments
• Investigate anomalies and drive root cause analysis to improve system robustness and reliability
• Support vehicle integration, pre-flight testing, and on-orbit performance analysis

Skills

Power electronics fundamentals

DC-DC conversion

Control systems

Power distribution

Schematic capture

PCB design

Lab debugging

High-reliability environments

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Power supplies

Electronic loads

PCB design tools

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp in San Carlos, CA is seeking a Power Avionics Engineer to lead the design, development, and integration of high‑power spacecraft power electronics for solar arrays and compute payloads.

Collaborate with software, mechanical, solar, and propulsion teams to meet demanding performance standards for space applications and contribute to a vision of space‑based energy and secure data transmission from orbit.