Engineering Manager, Digital & Mixed-Signal Hardware

About the role

CesiumAstro is a developer and pioneer of communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We are a dynamic and cross-functional work environment that allows learning, development, and engagement across our organization. This role is critical for ensuring design consistency and high-quality execution across a diverse portfolio of software-defined radios, space computing platforms, and phased array control systems.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Maintain technical integrity and engineering excellence for high-speed digital and mixed-signal electronics development across the company.
• Establish, mature, scale, and enforce engineer-friendly digital hardware development processes, including high-speed interface design guidelines, signal integrity simulation workflows, and schematic and layout standards for dense, high-layer-count PCBs.
• Lead and participate in rigorous architecture and design reviews, ensuring appropriate subject matter expert (SME) engagement across digital, RF, power, firmware, and mechanical disciplines.
• Apply strong working knowledge of adjacent disciplines – RF electronics, power electronics, mechanical engineering, software – to ensure board- and system-level success.
• Contribute directly to board-level digital and mixed-signal designs as needed, particularly in high-risk or schedule-critical programs.
• Lead or support complex debug efforts involving high-speed interfaces, large FPGA and processor implementations, and related technical topics.
• Ensure digital hardware designs are buildable and testable at scale using DFM and DFT best practices.
• Drive disciplined handoff from engineering to manufacturing through close collaboration with manufacturing engineering, supply chain, and production test engineering.
• Ensure designs meet quality, reliability, and scalability requirements for aerospace and defense production environments.
• Partner with Supply Chain to ensure component availability, lifecycle risk mitigation, and cost awareness.
• Drive design reuse, modular architectures, and platform commonality across products to accelerate execution and reduce risk.

Team Leadership, Staffing & Performance Responsibilities

• Build, scale, and lead a high-performing digital and mixed-signal hardware engineering team.
• Advocate for realistic schedules while holding the team accountable to delivery commitments.
• Lead hiring activities, including writing job descriptions, conducting interviews, and making hire/no-hire decisions.
• Establish clear development paths and growth opportunities for high-performing engineers.
• Address performance issues promptly and constructively.
• Actively close skill gaps through hands-on mentorship, training initiatives, or targeted hiring.
• Provide one-on-one coaching, mentoring, and deep technical guidance.
• Serve as a key contributor to early-stage engineering execution planning, including collaboration with Business Development and Systems Engineering.
• Plan and manage budgets related to staffing, lab equipment, capital equipment, and design/simulation software.
• Maintain strong working relationships across Engineering, Quality, and Operations.

Job Requirements And Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering required.
• Minimum of 7 years of direct digital or mixed-signal hardware engineering experience, preferably in aerospace environments. 1–3 years of small-team technical leadership or engineering management experience preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated deep expertise in high-speed digital and mixed-signal board design.
• Software-defined radio experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of signal integrity (SI) and timing.
• Experience supporting design for manufacturability (DFM), design for test (DFT), and transition from development to production.
• Proven ability to conduct rigorous technical reviews, mentor engineers, and communicate effectively across disciplines.
• Ability to balance architectural rigor with execution speed in a fast-paced development environment.
• Proficiency with high-speed simulation and analysis tools such as Ansys SiWave or ADS SiPro.
• Familiarity with FPGA toolchains (e.g. Xilinx Vivado) preferred.
• Strong technical and non-technical communication skills.