Technical Staff - Avionics and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) Lead Engineer

MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Pension (MIT-funded)

401K matching

Paid leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is seeking a Technical Staff Lead Engineer for Avionics and HWIL in the Space Systems and Technology Division. You will lead avionics architecture, hardware, and embedded systems for spacecraft applications, and head HWIL test bed development and flat-sat configurations to verify flight software and hardware prior to integration.

You will oversee real-time simulation environments, sensor/emulator interfaces, and high-fidelity compute infrastructure, while mentoring junior

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, or related field.
• 10+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience with avionics design, integration, and testing for spacecraft or embedded platforms.
• Experience developing or leading HWIL test environments or flat-sat configurations with real-time simulation and sensor/actuator emulation.
• Hands-on space hardware assembly, integration, and test (AI&T).
• Experience specifying or integrating high-fidelity compute infrastructure for sensor/avionics testing.
• Strong understanding of embedded systems and aerospace communication protocols.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot complex hardware/software integrations.
• Experience leading technical efforts and mentoring junior engineers.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to communicate to diverse audiences.
• Ability to obtain/maintain Secret DoD clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Lead avionics hardware and embedded systems design, development, and integration for spacecraft and payloads.
• Define avionics architecture including flight computer, sensors, actuators, and interfaces (SpaceWire, MIL-STD-1553, CAN, Ethernet).
• Support requirements, ICDs, and V&V plans for avionics.
• Coordinate HWIL test bed and flat-sat architectures, including real-time simulation environments.
• Define/oversee HWIL procedures and scripts for flight software and avionics testing.
• Specify compute infrastructure for space environment simulation.
• Lead AI&T activities and environmental testing for space hardware.
• Ensure traceability between HWIL results, flight software baselines, and test procedures.
• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analyses of HWIL anomalies.

Skills

Avionics design

HWIL test

AI&T

Embedded systems

Real-time simulation

Troubleshooting

Mentorship

Technical leadership

Communication

U.S. DoD clearance

Education

MS or PhD in electrical/computer/mechanical or systems engineering

Tools

SpaceWire

MIL-STD-1553

CAN

Ethernet

Job description

Technical Staff - Avionics and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) Lead Engineer

The Advanced Capabilities and Technologies Group (Group 91) researches, develops, and evaluates technologies for next-generation space systems. Current areas of interest include novel orbital constellations, deployable apertures, optical and RF imaging arrays, wide-field image acquisition and processing, feature modeling and recognition, communications networks, data visualization, and decision support. The group’s programs leverage resources from across Lincoln Lab to address critical needs for DARPA, the Air Force, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and others. Our goal is to provide new capabilities, develop their of concepts of operation, and ensure that they are resilient to disruptive technological advances.

Group 91 Description

The Advanced Capabilities and Technologies Group within MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Space Systems and Technology Division develops and demonstrates advanced space capabilities for emerging national security missions. Our work spans novel mission architectures from very low Earth orbit to cislunar space, including dynamic space operations, tactically responsive space missions, autonomous maneuvering, distributed spacecraft coordination, distributed sensing, and advanced passive and active sensing modalities.

We combine mission analysis, systems engineering, modeling and simulation, and rapid prototyping to evaluate and demonstrate transformative space capabilities. We seek exceptionally motivated and highly self-directed engineers who thrive on technically complex, multidisciplinary problems and are excited to support first-of-a-kind space capabilities from concept formulation through flight experimentation. Team members are expected to operate with substantial technical autonomy, often supporting multiple concurrent programs, and routinely lead efforts spanning mission concept development, requirements engineering, integration and test, vendor interface, and flight test operations.

Job Description

Group 91 is seeking a Technical Staff member to lead avionics engineering and hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) test bed development in support of a portfolio of space mission programs. The successful candidate will lead the architecture, development, and operation of HWIL test environments and flat-sat configurations used to verify flight software and avionics hardware prior to integration and flight. This role requires hands-on experience with space hardware and assembly, integration, and test (AI&T), along with the high-fidelity compute infrastructure needed to simulate the space environment for sensor and avionics testing. This position offers the opportunity to shape avionics test infrastructure and processes across the group, mentor junior engineers, and directly support the successful demonstration of novel space capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Avionics Systems Engineering

• Lead the design, development, and integration of avionics hardware and embedded systems for spacecraft and payload applications.
• Define avionics architecture, including flight computer, sensor, actuator, and communication bus interfaces (e.g., SpaceWire, MIL-STD-1553, CAN, Ethernet), as well as interfaces to sensing, communications, and navigation subsystems as applicable.
• Support development and review of avionics-related requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), and verification and validation (V&V) plans.
• Support integration of flight software with avionics hardware, including bring-up, debugging, and anomaly resolution.

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) Test Bed and Flat-Sat Leadership

• Lead the architecture, development, and maintenance of HWIL test beds and flat-sat configurations, including real-time simulation environments, sensor/actuator emulation, and flight hardware interfaces.
• Define and oversee HWIL test procedures and scripts to verify flight software and avionics performance under representative operational conditions.
• Specify and integrate high-fidelity simulation compute infrastructure (e.g., real-time servers, signal/scene generation hardware) needed to represent the space environment for sensor and avionics testing.
• Support hands-on assembly, integration, and test (AI&T) activities for space hardware, including bring-up, functional testing, and environmental test support.
• Ensure consistency and traceability between HWIL test results, flight software baselines, and flight experiment procedures.
• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of anomalies identified during HWIL testing, and support resolution in coordination with software and hardware teams.

Team Leadership and Technical Mentorship

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers supporting avionics, AI&T, and HWIL test activities.
• Support planning and resource allocation for avionics lab, flat-sat, and HWIL test bed activities across concurrent programs.
• Prepare technical documentation, analyses, and presentations for internal design reviews and external stakeholders, including sponsors.

Requirements

• A M.S. or PhD in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, or a closely related technical field
• 10+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrated experience with avionics system design, integration, and testing for spacecraft or related embedded platforms.
• Demonstrated experience developing or leading hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) test environments or flat-sat configurations, including real-time simulation and sensor/actuator emulation.
• Hands-on experience with space hardware, including assembly, integration, and test (AI&T) activities.
• Experience specifying or integrating high-fidelity compute infrastructure (e.g., real-time simulation servers, signal/scene generation systems) to represent operational environments for hardware testing.
• Strong understanding of embedded systems, real-time operating systems, and common avionics communication protocols (e.g., SpaceWire, MIL-STD-1553, CAN, Ethernet).
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex hardware/software integration issues independently.
• Experience leading technical efforts and mentoring junior engineers.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical findings to diverse audiences.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret-level DoD security clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with current space technology trends, including small satellite platforms, responsive space architectures, and on-orbit servicing/autonomy concepts.
• Experience with high-performance computing (HPC) systems or real-time compute architectures relevant to sensor simulation and data processing.
• Understanding of spacecraft subsystems relevant to HWIL test bed design, including electro-optical (EO), infrared (IR), or radar sensing modalities; communications and data links; and inertial navigation sensors and GNSS receivers — along with methods to test, emulate, and simulate these subsystems within a HWIL or flat-sat environment.
• Experience with flight software integration and testing, including software-in-the-loop (SIL) and processor-in-the-loop (PIL) test methodologies.
• Experience with FPGA-based or embedded avionics hardware design and development.
• Experience supporting one or more flight programs, including avionics integration, launch campaigns, or on-orbit operations.

Recent Graduate Hiring Range: $145,200-$170,000
Experienced Hiring Range: $145,200-$220,000

Disclaimer: MIT Lincoln Laboratory provides a typical hiring range as a good faith estimate of what we reasonably expect to offer for this position at the time of posting. The final salary offered to a selected candidate will depend on various factors, including—but not limited to—the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate’s experience, skills and education/training, internal equity considerations and applicable legal requirements. This range reflects base salary only and does not include additional forms of compensation or benefits.

At MIT Lincoln Laboratory, our exceptional career opportunities include many outstanding benefits to help you stay healthy, feel supported, and enjoy a fulfilling work-life balance. Benefits offered to employees include:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans
• MIT-funded pension
• Matching 401K
• Paid leave (including vacation, sick, parental, military, etc.)
• Tuition reimbursement and continuing education programs

Selected candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level DoD security clearance.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, or genetic information; U.S. citizenship is required.