Sr. Electrical Engineer, Lasercom

Wheel the World; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Compensation

Equity Opportunities

Flexible Work Environment (LA Office)

Unlimited PTO

Health & Wellness

Cutting-Edge Tools

Mission-Driven Culture

Inclusive Team

Job summary

Observable Space is seeking an experienced Electrical Engineer to lead the design of electrical systems powering advanced laser communications technology. The role intersects photonics, RF, and DSP, supporting high-performance optical links for aerospace applications.

Reporting to the Director of Electrical Engineering, you will collaborate with optical engineers to optimize system budgets, performance, and reliability across prototype to flight-qualified hardware.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Optical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 5+ years designing optical communication or high-speed communication systems.
• Strong understanding of fiber electronics, optics, lasers, and signal processing.
• Experience designing electronics supporting high-speed optical or communication systems.
• Familiarity with digital communication theory, modulation schemes, coding, synchronization, and digital signal processing.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop electronics that interface with laser communication systems (lasers, PICs, optical amplifiers, modulators, detectors).
• Design high-speed analog and mixed-signal circuitry for coherent/FSO optical links.
• Develop signal conditioning, timing, clocking, and data conversion circuitry for ultra-high-bandwidth links.
• Model, simulate, prototype, and characterize optical communication hardware in lab.
• Support DSP pipelines for modulation, demodulation, synchronization, equalization, and optical signal recovery.
• Collaborate with optical engineers to optimize laser performance and system budgets.
• Perform electrical characterization using oscilloscopes, VNAs, spectrum analyzers, BERTs, etc.
• Engage in architecture trade studies and component selection for full optical system.
• Support transition from prototype to flight-qualified hardware balancing performance and manufacturability.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor’s degree in EE/Physics/Photonic/Optical Engineering

MS or PhD in optical communications/photonic fields

Tools

ADS

HFSS

CST

COMSOL

Lumerical

MATLAB/Simulink

FPGA development

Job description

About Observable Space

At Observable Space, we're redefining how humanity observes and connects with the universe. We're a vertically integrated, high-growth, space technology company building industry-leading precision optics platforms for Earth and in space. Our systems are trusted by thousands of customers, including NASA, JPL, SpaceX, Boeing, RTX, the US Space Force and the U.S. Department of War, leading research institutions and international partners.

We combine precision opto-mechanical hardware, embedded compute, cloud orchestration, and developer-friendly APIs into world class products at scale with in-house manufacturing. From advanced ground stations, on-orbit sensor suites, free space optical lasercom, to distributed compute platforms, we deliver the foundational systems enabling continuous, real-time navigation, observation, and communication in space.

Observable Space is backed by top-tier institutional investors including Lux Capital, Upfront Ventures, RTX Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners and Embedded Ventures. To learn more, visit observable.space.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Electrical Engineer to help lead the design and development of the electrical systems that power our next-generation laser communications technology. This role sits at the intersection of photonics, fiber optics, analog electronics, RF design, and digital signal processing, supporting the development of high-performance optical communication systems for aerospace applications. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys solving complex multidisciplinary problems spanning electrical engineering, optics, and communications theory. This role reports to the Director of Electrical Engineering.

What You'll Do

• Design and develop electronics that interface directly with laser communication systems, including lasers, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), optical amplifiers, modulators, detectors, and fiber optic subsystems.
• Design high-speed analog and mixed-signal circuitry supporting coherent optical communications and free-space optical communication systems.
• Develop signal conditioning, amplification, timing, clocking, and data conversion circuitry for ultra-high-bandwidth optical links.
• Design, analyze, and validate high-speed signal paths with an emphasis on signal integrity, noise performance, jitter, and bandwidth.
• Model, simulate, prototype, and characterize optical communication hardware using laboratory instrumentation and simulation tools.
• Support development of DSP pipelines for modulation, demodulation, synchronization, equalization, and optical signal recovery.
• Collaborate closely with optical engineers to optimize laser performance, optical alignment, receiver sensitivity, and system link budgets.
• Perform electrical characterization and debugging using oscilloscopes, vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, bit-error-rate testers (BERTs), optical spectrum analyzers, and related laboratory equipment.
• Participate in architecture trade studies, component selection, and performance optimization across the complete optical communication system.
• Support transition from prototype through flight-qualified hardware while balancing performance, manufacturability, and reliability.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Optical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years designing optical communication or high-speed communication systems.
• Strong understanding of fiber electronics, optics, lasers, and signal processing.
• Experience designing electronics supporting high-speed optical or communication systems.
• Familiarity with digital communication theory, modulation schemes, coding, synchronization, and digital signal processing.
• Experience performing laboratory validation of high-speed communication hardware.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to work across electrical, optical, mechanical, and software disciplines.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, prototype-driven engineering environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or PhD focused on optical communications, photonics, microwave engineering, RF systems, or digital communications.
• Experience developing coherent optical communication systems.
• Experience with free-space optical communications (FSO) or laser communication systems.
• Experience with photonic integrated circuits (PICs), fiber optic transceivers, EDFAs, coherent receivers, or optical modulators.
• Experience with high-speed SerDes, PAM4, QAM, QPSK, coherent modulation, or related communication architectures.
• Familiarity with DSP algorithms for optical communications including equalization, carrier recovery, clock recovery, and FEC.
• Experience using simulation tools such as ADS, HFSS, CST, COMSOL, Lumerical, MATLAB/Simulink, or similar.
• Experience with FPGA-based communication systems.
• Familiarity with aerospace, defense, or satellite communication systems.
• Experience supporting hardware developed for harsh environmental or spaceflight applications.

What We Offer

Competitive Compensation – A salary package aligned with industry standards and your experience.

Equity Opportunities – Take part in our success with stock options.

Flexible Work Environment – Enjoy working from our office or in a hybrid work setup with the flexibility to work remotely part of the week. We require a minimum of 3 days per week in our office to support collaboration and team culture. (LA Office only)

Unlimited PTO (exempt only) – Take the time you need with our flexible, trust-based vacation policy, including paid holidays. We encourage everyone to rest, recharge, and take care of themselves.

Health & Wellness – Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with 100% of the premium paid by the employer for employees.

Cutting-Edge Tools – Get access to the latest hardware and software you need to do your best work.

Mission-Driven Culture – Be part of a team working on meaningful challenges with real-world impact.

Inclusive Team – We foster a supportive and diverse workplace where all voices are valued.

Observable Space is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.