Design, architect, and bring up high-speed digital circuit boards for software-defined radios on spacecraft. Develop schematics and layouts, perform signal integrity and timing analyses, run simulations, test hardware in lab and system-level RF environments, derive requirements, support qualification and flight operations, mentor junior engineers, and troubleshoot/fix lifecycle issues.
As a Senior Electrical Engineer (Digital), your core responsibility will be to own architecture, design, and bringup of custom digital circuit boards for software defined radios. You will work with RF engineers, RF software engineers, mechanical engineers, and others to meet test needs across a wide range of capabilities. You will work on uplink and downlink software defined radios utilizing FPGAs, memory interfaces, high speed digital peripherals, and analog to digital converters. You will have the opportunity to contribute to all aspects of spacecraft electronics development, from architecting new systems to building and operating them.
Responsibilities
- Design and bring up high speed digital systems supporting software defined radios
- Contribute to new spacecraft RF architecture trades
- Develop circuit boards (schematic and layout) for spacecraft, with an emphasis on digital electronics
- Perform rigorous analyses and simulations of digital devices and systems
- Perform development testing of hardware in the lab, from single digital designs to entire RF systems
- Derive digital hardware design requirements from system-level specifications
- Own hardware through qualification and flight operations
- Establish and maintain high technical standards and mentor less experienced engineers
- Improve existing products throughout their lifecycle by troubleshooting issues, performing failure analysis of parts and systems, and implementing improvements
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field
- 5+ years professional experience designing digital electronics
- Proficiency with electronics component selection, analysis, simulation, schematics, and layout
- Knowledge of digital circuit design concepts including signal integrity, timing, etc.
- Strong electrical engineering fundamentals
- Experience troubleshooting electronics problems at the board level or system level
- Ability to communicate technical challenges, explain rationale, and resolve concerns
- Familiarity with high speed digital simulation software, such as Hyperlynx, Sigrity, SiWave, ADS, or similar
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Experience with Altium Designer
- Familiarity with electromagnetic sim tools such as ADS, HFSS, CST, Genesys, or similar
- Layout experience with large BGA ICs
- Experience with radiation-tolerant digital design including component selection, derating, SEU mitigation, and fault-tolerant architecture
- Familiarity with common RF protocols like SRS4, DVBS-II, and CCSDS
- Experience with multi-gigabit SERDES design, simulation, and testing
- Experience designing high speed digital interfaces such as DDR4/5, PCIe, RGMII/SGMII, Ethernet
- Experience in a startup or agile development environment
Additional Information:
Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
About
Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.
Impulse Space El Segundo, California, USA Office
El Segundo, CA, United States, 90245
Similar Jobs
Hardware
The Sr. Electrical Design Engineer will design and develop PCBA with analog and digital circuits, conduct feasibility studies, analyze circuit performance, and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
Top Skills:
Cad ToolsLtsimOrcadPspice
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Software
Manage and maintain compliance with security and privacy frameworks (ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS). Coordinate audits, drive remediation, improve controls and evidence management, support security questionnaires for deal cycles, and design compliance training while partnering across teams to integrate controls into the SDLC.
Top Skills:
AWSAzureDatadogDrataFrontend DevelopmentHipaaIso 27001LinearOpen Source ComponentsPci DssSdlcSoc 2
Artificial Intelligence • Fintech
Create product positioning, messaging, and high-quality content (buyer guides, whitepapers, product pages, webinars) to educate enterprise accounting leaders, generate pipeline, and translate complex accounting workflows and AI capabilities into clear narratives. Partner with Product, Engineering, customers, and Demand Gen; conduct research, interviews, and competitive analysis; and build repeatable editorial systems.
Top Skills:
ChatgptClaudeClaude CodeErp
What you need to know about the Los Angeles Tech Scene
Los Angeles is a global leader in entertainment, so it’s no surprise that many of the biggest players in streaming, digital media and game development call the city home. But the city boasts plenty of non-entertainment innovation as well, with tech companies spanning verticals like AI, fintech, e-commerce and biotech. With major universities like Caltech, UCLA, USC and the nearby UC Irvine, the city has a steady supply of top-flight tech and engineering talent — not counting the graduates flocking to Los Angeles from across the world to enjoy its beaches, culture and year-round temperate climate.
Key Facts About Los Angeles Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 375,800; 5.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Snap, Netflix, SpaceX, Disney, Google
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, adtech, media, software, game development
- Funding Landscape: $11.6 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Strong Ventures, Fifth Wall, Upfront Ventures, Mucker Capital, Kittyhawk Ventures
- Research Centers and Universities: California Institute of Technology, UCLA, University of Southern California, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Quantum Science and Engineering
