Senior Electrical Engineer (Space Laser Systems)

We are a pre-seed space networking company working on bringing the internet to space. We believe that access to better digital connectivity is essential for human progress and that space is the frontier of digital connectivity. By building space networking solutions, we can proliferate digital connectivity, collaboration, and commercial impact while achieving our vision of an open, space-based internet.

About the role

Join our electrical engineering team to design and develop the electronics that make our vision of space networking a reality—from high-speed digital systems to opto-electronics for optical inter-satellite links. You'll contribute to three critical hardware domains:

• High-speed digital networking electronics capable of routing data at up to 9.6 Tbps between multiple optical terminals and managing a ~200 TB space-based data cache
• Optical terminal electronics, including motor control systems, fine steering control electronics, photodiode transimpedance amplifiers, and laser drivers for free-space optical communication
• Semi-custom optical transceivers that bridge our networking and optical systems

As part of our electrical engineering team, you'll help establish our approach to electronics design for space networking systems and contribute to building our hardware engineering capabilities. Your designs will define the hardware foundation for all our products. This role reports to the CTO and co-founder.

Responsibilities

The following are responsibilities across our electrical engineering team. You will own a subset of these based on your experience and interests, and contribute to others as needed:

• High-Speed Digital Design (Network Box)
  • Design high-speed digital systems with interfaces up to 9.6 Tbps for space-based routing
  • Implement optical interface protocols in space-qualified hardware
  • Ensure signal integrity and EMI/EMC compliance for high-speed differential signaling
  • Design power delivery systems for high-performance networking processors and FPGAs
  • Design storage subsystem electronics for a ~200 TB space-based data cache, including high-speed memory interfaces and storage controller integration
• Optical Transceivers
  • Design and develop semi-custom optical transceiver modules for space networking applications
  • Work with optics and photonics vendors to integrate custom requirements into transceiver form factors
  • Characterize and qualify transceiver performance for space environments
• Optical Terminal Electronics
  • Design motor control systems for precision pointing and tracking of optical terminals
  • Develop photodiode transimpedance amplifiers for closed-loop terminal pointing control
  • Design laser driver circuits for closed-loop terminal pointing control
  • Implement closed-loop control systems for beam steering and acquisition
  • Optimize analog front-end performance for low noise and high bandwidth
• Space Hardware Development
  • Select commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components appropriate for space environments
  • Collaborate with mechanical team on thermal management solutions for high-power digital electronics in vacuum
  • Support qualification test team in developing test procedures and qualification campaigns
  • Work with fabrication partners to manufacture and assemble flight hardware
  • Support hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing and integration activities
• System Integration
  • Define electrical interfaces between network box, optical terminals, and spacecraft bus
  • Design electrical harnessing and cable routing for dynamic motion environments
  • Collaborate with firmware team to ensure hardware-software integration
  • Support mission engineer in spacecraft-level integration and testing
  • Debug and troubleshoot hardware issues during build, integration, and test phases

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent experience
• 3+ years of electronics design experience either with mixed focus on high-speed digital or analog circuits or deep focus in one area
• Experience with PCB design tools (Altium, Cadence, or similar)
• Track record delivering hardware
• Understanding of signal integrity principles for high-speed digital design
• Experience with laboratory test equipment (oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers)
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing space-qualified or radiation-tolerant electronics
• Familiarity with Xilinx Versal FPGA line
• Verilog or VHDL experience for FPGA development
• Background in optical communication systems or laser electronics
• Experience with fiber optics and optical interconnects
• Experience with electrical harnessing and cable design for dynamic motion environments
• Experience with high-speed serial interfaces (100G+ Ethernet, PCIe Gen4/5)
• Knowledge of motor control systems and closed-loop feedback
• Understanding of photodiode circuits and transimpedance amplifier design
• Thermal analysis and simulation experience (ANSYS, Thermal Desktop)
• Familiarity with radiation effects on electronics (SEU, TID)
• Experience with space qualification standards (MIL-STD-883)

Benefits

• Comprehensive health care coverage
• Unlimited PTO (we expect you to take at least 4 weeks per year, and leadership does the same)

Pay

• Engineer II: $150,000 - $190,000
• Senior Engineer: $170,000 - $210,000
• Staff Engineer: $180,000 - $230,000
• Generous equity package (early hire equity)

Schedule

• Hybrid work model: 3 days per week in our office/lab based on project needs
• During critical phases (integration, test, or launch prep), expect to be in the office more frequently for coordination with the mission team
• Expected travel: about 10% (customer meetings, supplier visits, launch campaign, partner sites, integration sites, other offices)

The Opportunity

• Join an early-stage hardware team and contribute to shaping the hardware design philosophy, component selection strategy, and engineering culture
• Work on multiple challenging domains: cutting-edge high-speed digital systems and precision analog/opto-electronics
• Real impact: Your electronics will fly in space and route real traffic
• Build the space internet: Create hardware that will be the foundation of how space networks operate at all layers of the OSI model
• Influence the hardware roadmap: Work with the electrical engineering team to define what space networking hardware should be

Our Vision and Values

Our vision is to enable an open, space internet that anyone can utilize and access. We believe that collaboration within market competition is the most effective way to expand the internet into space. Our values include:

• Access to connectivity for all
• Collaboration that raises all boats; we focus on win/win deals
• Commercial impact: building solutions people value and buy
• Personal growth and creating a place where people build their careers
• Putting good out into the world through our work and interactions

We are building a company people feel great about working at. We seek people who are open and actively seeking growth—both technical and personal. We value honesty, creativity, and a culture of ownership.

Locations

• El Segundo, CA: Located in the heart of the aerospace industry, surrounded by SpaceX, Aerospace Corporation, Northrop Grumman, and hundreds of space startups. A unique ecosystem where strangers on the street are excited about space.
• Oakland, CA: Right off BART. Close collaboration opportunities with UC Berkeley and the broader Bay Area networking and space research communities.