Team Lead, Avionics - Vehicle Electronics

Astranis Space Technologies Corp.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Astranis Space Technologies Corp. in Northern California is seeking a Team Lead for Avionics - Vehicle Electronics to guide a growing team of engineers responsible for compute, networking, and power distribution on our geosynchronous spacecraft.

You will partner across disciplines to define architectures, drive hardware design from concept to production, manage schedules, and recruit new teammates while ensuring robust, space-rated hardware for mission success.

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in electrical or computer engineering or a similar technical degree.
• 5+ years of professional experience with fast-paced product design cycles.
• 5+ years of board-level experience designing electronics hardware from concept to production.
• US Citizenship or Green Card.
• Strong analog/mixed-signal circuit design skills.

Responsibilities

• Directly manage and grow a team of junior and senior electrical engineers.
• Define spacecraft compute, networking, and power distribution requirements and architectures.
• Oversee design, build, and implementation of in-house hardware and systems.
• Manage detailed schedule to ensure hardware development stays in sync with the program.
• Drive hardware design, component selection, circuit board design, verification, bring-up, and debugging.
• Own the technical relationship with third‑party component suppliers to ensure robust solutions.
• Support in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to the growing team.
• Support the production and mission operations teams on build and in‑flight use of component hardware.
• Drive the growth of the avionics components team through recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates.

Skills

Team leadership

Analog/mixed-signal design

Hardware design

Hands-on hardware testing

Cross-discipline communication

Education

Electrical/Computer Engineering degree

Tools

FPGAs

Microcontrollers

PCB Design

Job description

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity's reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe - large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.

With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.

Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world's best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

Team Lead, Avionics - Vehicle Electronics

As the Team Lead for the Avionics - Vehicle Electronics team, you will play a critical role in building and leading a team of engineers that own the compute, networking, and power distribution systems within our spacecraft. You'll support the team in pushing the boundary of what is possible in a geo-synchronous spacecraft design and enable performance in space that has not been realized to date.

Role

• Directly manage and grow a team of junior and senior electrical engineers
• Collaborate with a broad and multidisciplinary team to define the spacecraft compute, networking, and power distribution requirements and architectures
• Oversee the design, build, and implementation of our in-house hardware and systems
• Manage a detailed schedule to ensure that our hardware development is in sync with the overall program schedule
• Drive hardware design, specification, component selection, circuit board design, implementation, verification, board bring-up, and debugging
• Own the technical relationship with third‑party component suppliers to ensure our vendors provide robust and performant solutions
• Support in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly‑growing team
• Support the production and mission operations teams on the build and in‑flight use of our component hardware
• Drive the growth of the avionics components team through recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly‑expanding team

Requirements

• B.S. or higher in electrical or computer engineering, or similar technical degree
• 5+ years of professional experience with fast‑paced product design cycles
• 5+ years of board level experience designing electronics hardware from concept through to production
• A passion for hardware development & fostering teamwork in a fast‑paced environment
• Demonstrated ability to design, build, and test hardware, hands-on, from scratch
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage teams of engineers and communicate clearly with other disciplines
• Strong analog/mixed‑signal circuit design skills
• US Citizenship or Green Card

Bonus

• 5+ years of experience with designing and implementing signal conditioning, sensors, electro‑mechanical actuators, power switches, embedded computers, or such hardware.
• Experience with FPGAs, Microcontrollers, and communication schemes (RS‑485, SPI, Ethernet, I2C)
• Strong understanding of C, C++, or Python
• Radiation effects knowledge
• Environmental test experience

What we offer:

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis's total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company‑subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on‑site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional‑grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

Base Salary

$160,000 — $210,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.