Senior Hardware Engineer, Orbital Infrastructure

About the role

Armada is the hyperscaler for the edge, delivering modular AI infrastructure from first deployment to AI factory with speed, scale, and sovereignty. Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies and to the CNBC Disruptor 50, Armada’s solutions are deployed in over 60 countries globally for organizations ranging from energy to defense.

With nearly $500 million in funding to date, Armada is backed by leading investors including Founders Fund, Lux, BlackRock and Microsoft (M12), alongside strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Dell, Palantir, NVIDIA, SpaceX, and Skydio. We are building the infrastructure layer for sovereign and edge AI - rugged, deployable compute for customers that cannot rely on centralized cloud.

What You'll Do (Key Responsibilities)

• Component Strategy & Architecture: Lead the selection of CPUs, GPUs, and high-density NVMe storage. Evaluate silicon based on performance-per-watt and inherent radiation susceptibility (TID/SEE).
• Custom Server Design: Architect custom server sleds and high-speed backplanes. Ensure signal integrity for PCIe Gen 5/6 and CXL links in a compact form factor optimized for a satellite bus.
• Manufacturer Collaboration: Act as the primary technical point of contact for Tier 1 component vendors. Work with their engineering teams to deep-dive into firmware and hardware-level modifications for orbital stability.
• Thermal & Mechanical Integration: Design conduction-based cooling solutions and the use of Phase Change Materials (PCM) or advanced heat pipes for heat dissipation in the absence of air.
• Hardware Hardening: Lead the "Space-Adaptation" of terrestrial hardware, implementing shielding, structural reinforcements, and conductive cooling paths.
• Validation & Qualification: Oversee the hardware testing lifecycle, from initial breadboarding to Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) and Vibration (Shock/Vibe) qualification.

Required Qualifications

• US Citizenship
• 10+ Years of Experience: Deep hands-on hardware engineering with a focus on server-class hardware, high-performance computing (HPC), or ruggedized electronics
• Industry Networks: Existing, strong relationships with major semiconductor and data center component vendors.
• Server Design Mastery: Expert knowledge of x86/ARM architectures, memory hierarchies, and high-speed interconnects (PCIe, NVMe, Ethernet).
• PCBA Design: Proficiency in high-speed PCB design (Altium, Cadence, or Allegro) for power-dense environments.
• Education: BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Spaceflight Heritage: Proven experience designing hardware that has successfully flown and operated in LEO/GEO environments.
• Radiation Effects: Expertise in mitigating Single Event Effects (SEE) and Total Ionizing Dose (TID) through hardware-level redundancy and shielding.
• Aerospace Integration: Experience interfacing high-compute payloads with standard satellite buses and power systems.
• Environmental Standards: Familiarity with rigorous testing standards for vacuum, thermal, and high-vibration environments (e.g., MIL-STD or equivalent aerospace protocols).

Compensation

For U.S. Based candidates: To ensure fairness and transparency, the starting base salary range for this role for candidates in the U.S. are listed below, varying based on location experience, skills, and qualifications.
In addition to base salary, this role will also be offered equity and subsidized benefits (details available upon request).

• Competitive base salary and equity
• Medical, dental, and vision (subsidized cost)
• Health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), and dependent care FSAs (DCFSA)
• Retirement plan options, including 401(k) and Roth 401(k)
• Unlimited paid time off (PTO)
• 14 paid company holidays per year

Benefits

$157,600 - $197,000 USD
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