Staff Electrical Engineer - Own the electrical architecture behind a new class of hypersonic launch systems

Alameda, CA | On-site

Opportunity Summary

An early-stage aerospace and defense company is hiring a Staff Electrical Engineer to lead its electrical function across every program. You will own the people, the architecture, and the hardware for high-energy systems spanning pulsed-power ignition, firing and sequencing control, instrumentation and data acquisition, safety interlocks, vehicle avionics and power, and test site power. Your team will deliver circuit card assemblies, FPGA and microcontroller designs, harnesses, and the procedures and scripts used to verify them.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will set direction for a small electrical team, grow it, and serve as the accountable owner for electrical design at reviews and test readiness. Expect to design and review schematics yourself, support live test campaigns on site, and stand behind every piece of hardware that goes into the system. The role includes approximately 25% travel for test campaigns.

About Us

We are a venture-backed, seed-stage aerospace and defense startup in the San Francisco Bay Area developing a ground-based approach to accelerating payloads to hypersonic speeds. The platform is designed to make high-speed flight testing far more affordable for national security customers in the near term and to lower the cost of reaching space over the long term. The company is backed by leading deep tech investors, works with multiple U.S. government customers, and is heading into a series of major test milestones.

Job Duties

• Define and own the electrical architecture for launch and test systems, including high-voltage pulsed-power ignition, control and sequencing, instrumentation, interlocks and abort chains, power distribution, and grounding
• Write electrical requirements, specifications, and interface control drawings, and manage interfaces with the mechanical, software, test, and facilities teams
• Set requirements for the FPGA, microcontroller, and embedded electronics used in control and test systems, and guide their design and implementation
• Plan the build of boards, chassis, racks, and harnesses, and carry hardware through fabrication and delivery to internal users
• Make build versus buy decisions and own the electrical BOM, schedule, and budget
• Review analyses from other engineers for accuracy and completeness and pull their work into one integrated design
• Hire, mentor, and lead a team of electrical engineers and technicians
• Establish design standards, review practices, and documentation expectations, and delegate with clear ownership
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause investigations on electrical anomalies and keep the broader team informed on technical issues
• Build verification plans from requirements and run qualification and acceptance testing of electrical hardware
• Produce test procedures, results reports, training material, and issue reports
• Drive safe design for high-energy systems, covering energy storage, safe and arm, fault tolerance, isolation, discharge, and lockout/tagout
• Serve as the electrical authority on hazard analyses and at PDR, CDR, and TRR, and author the electrical content of design, interface, and safety documents
• Support technical documentation for government-funded contracts and provide oversight of key suppliers and subcontractors

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering with 6+ years of relevant experience, an MS in a related field with 4+ years, or a PhD with 3+ years
• Strong design or analysis background across analog, digital, and power circuits in at least one of these areas: pulsed power or high voltage, ignition or initiation systems, test stand control and instrumentation, or flight avionics and power
• Hands-on experience across the full hardware cycle, from requirements and schematics through layout review, harnessing, build, test, and field support
• Deep knowledge of high-energy safety practices, including stored energy hazards, interlocks, grounding and shielding, and EMI control in high-current environments
• Track record leading engineering teams and delivering quality results against budgets, schedules, and performance standards
• Experience with configuration management and tracking tools such as Git and Jira
• Ability to write clearly for review boards and customers so a design decision makes sense to someone who was not part of it
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work well with technicians, program leadership, external partners, and customers
• Desire to work hands-on and on site, including at the test stand
• Ability to travel approximately 25% for test campaigns
• Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee) due to export control requirements

Preferred Experience

• Experience with capacitor banks, high-current switching, or exploding bridgewire initiation
• FPGA-based embedded design or firmware and hardware co-design
• Power electronics and power bus interfaces, including batteries, capacitor banks, and high-current DC
• High-speed data acquisition with piezoelectric pressure sensors, strain gauges, accelerometers, and high-speed camera triggering using NI, Dewesoft, or comparable systems
• Background in flight or defense hardware development, including EEE parts control and packaging and cabling standards
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-464, MIL-STD-1576, or range safety requirements
• Integration and test experience with engineering and qualification units feeding into system-level test campaigns
• Work in hazardous test or energetic materials environments
• Prior experience as a technical lead or subject matter expert on aerospace or defense programs
• Active U.S. security clearance or the ability to obtain one
• Comfort balancing multiple priorities across cross-functional teams in a fast-moving environment

Why Join Us

• Own the entire electrical function, from architecture to hardware to the team itself
• Build and shape the electrical team at a pivotal stage for the company
• Work on high-voltage, high-energy hardware that few engineers ever get to design
• See your designs tested at full scale on a fast development cycle
• Direct impact on national security programs and the future of affordable space access
• Early equity in a seed-stage, venture-backed company
• Comprehensive health and dental insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and paid sick leave
• Professional development opportunities

Compensation Details

$180,000 - $220,000 + equity