Electrical Design Engineer - Digital

Lanteris Space Systems is seeking an Electrical Design Engineer to join our Bus Electronics Design team, focusing on avionics hardware development. This hands-on, on-site position is located in San Jose, CA. The Bus Electronics team designs, verifies, and supports the electronics enabling our high-powered spacecraft, which serve national defense, Earth observation, communications, and interplanetary exploration missions such as NASA’s Psyche Discovery Program and the SR-1 Freedom mission to Mars.

About the role

In this role, you will lead the electrical design of next-generation compute systems for avionics, including onboard computing, data handling, memory blocks, high-speed communications, and FPGA interfaces. You will own the full lifecycle—from concept through schematic capture, PCB layout, engineering test, qualification, production, and flight—for space applications.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and recommendations for system trades, requirements capture, and design choices in an often ambiguous design space.
• Proactively own hardware through design, production, satellite integration, and on-orbit performance.
• Design, analyze, and test digital electronics hardware for spacecraft applications, including hands-on prototyping and bring-up.
• Document engineering test and qualification plans; execute hardware validation via benchtop and environmental testing; troubleshoot and investigate anomalous circuit behavior.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (mechanical, thermal, software/firmware, test engineering, supply chain) to drive project success.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science, or a related field, with a minimum of 8 years of experience.
• Proficiency in the design, simulation, analysis, and test of digital electronics circuits and onboard computing.
• Proficiency in schematics and PCB layout considerations for digital and mixed-signal electronics, including high-speed communications.
• Experience with analysis methods such as circuit stress, derating, and worst-case analysis.

Qualifications

• 15 years of relevant experience, including leading electrical engineering designs through the full lifecycle.
• Experience with Radiation Hardened (Rad Hard) designs; single event effects (SEE) and mitigation analysis for COTS components in space.
• Design considerations for reliability, redundancy, FMECA, and radiation effects in a space environment.
• Familiarity with OpenVPX and SpaceVPX standards.
• Self-motivated with strong attention to detail, proactive problem-solving, and communication skills; ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Knowledge of Design for Excellence (DFX).

Pay

The base pay for this position at the lead level (based on experience) in California is $123,000 – $205,000 annually. At the principal level, the range is $151,000 – $251,000 annually. Starting pay is determined by job-related factors, including experience, qualifications, knowledge, skills, geographic location, and market conditions. Candidates with the minimum necessary qualifications should not expect the upper end of the range.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, health and welfare insurance, and a 401(k) for eligible employees. This position is also incentive-eligible, with targets based on contribution, company performance, and individual results.