What You'll Do- Contribute directly to the design, analysis, development, integration, test, and operation of spacecraft electrical and avionics systems, including power, embedded electronics, sensors, interfaces, and flight hardware.
- Own well-scoped electrical engineering problems from requirements and concept development through schematic design, component selection, analysis, PCB or harness interface definition, integration, test, documentation, and closure with support from senior engineers.
- Work hands-on with schematics, boards, flight hardware, sensors, harnesses, bench equipment, oscilloscopes, power supplies, logic analyzers, simulation tools, and hardware-in-the-loop environments rather than operating only at the analysis or documentation layer.
- Participate in design reviews, board bring-up, hardware builds, integration activities, test campaigns, anomaly investigations, and mission-readiness activities; communicate electrical performance, risks, assumptions, and decisions clearly.
- Collaborate across mechanical, GNC, propulsion, software, systems, manufacturing, and mission operations to understand electrical interfaces and system-level impacts on spacecraft performance.
- Build engineering judgment by comparing circuit calculations, simulations, power budgets, signal expectations, and interface assumptions against bench, integration, and hardware data, identifying discrepancies, and iterating toward reliable flight hardware.
- Document requirements, assumptions, interfaces, calculations, schematics, component selections, analyses, test results, procedures, and technical decisions so others can review, reproduce, build, and integrate the work.
- Take increasing ownership as technical capability grows, progressing from supervised design and analysis tasks toward independent circuit-, board-, interface-, or subsystem-level responsibility.
- Support spacecraft mission execution by helping translate mission objectives and constraints into credible electrical designs, analyses, hardware interfaces, integration plans, test approaches, and operational recommendations.
What We're Looking For Required - Bachelor's degree completed, or expected before start date, in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, or a closely related technical field.
- Strong academic or project-based grounding in circuits, electronics, digital and analog systems, embedded systems, power electronics, signals, sensors, or related electrical engineering fundamentals, with the ability to explain technical reasoning from first principles.
- Demonstrated hands-on electrical engineering experience through internships, research, student spacecraft or robotics teams, capstone projects, personal projects, laboratories, board bring-up, electronics assembly, or prior employment.
- Ability to break down ambiguous electrical problems, identify assumptions and interfaces, build appropriate models, make reasonable design tradeoffs, and validate work through calculation, simulation, bench test, hardware-in-the-loop, or data.
- Clear written and verbal technical communication, including the ability to explain what was personally designed, analyzed, wired, assembled, integrated, tested, or debugged versus what was completed by a team.
- Comfort learning new spacecraft electrical hardware, components, interfaces, embedded systems, test methods, analysis tools, and mission concepts quickly in an environment where responsibilities may evolve with program needs.
- Ability to collaborate closely with mechanical, GNC, propulsion, software, systems, manufacturing, and mission-operations engineers and accept direct technical feedback without losing ownership of the problem.
- Ability to comply with applicable export-control requirements and customer-access restrictions.
Your Ideal BackgroundPreferred - Internship, research, co-op, or project experience in spacecraft, aerospace, robotics, avionics, power electronics, embedded systems, defense technology, high-reliability hardware, or another electrically demanding environment.
- Experience taking a circuit, board, electrical assembly, embedded hardware interface, or power subsystem from concept and design into build, bring-up, integration, or test and using the results to drive changes.
- Exposure to circuit design, embedded systems, power electronics, PCB development, sensors, test equipment, hardware-in-the-loop environments, electrical integration, or electrical testing.
- Additional Requirements: Must be willing to work hands-on in the office, lab, integration, or test environment as required and to support occasional extended hours during critical test or mission activities.
Compensation and Benefits: Your base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. The anticipated salary range for this role is $80,000 - $105,000 annually.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Katalyst. You will also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of the Employee Stock Option and Equity Plan, as well as a relocation bonus and other discretionary bonuses. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, and unlimited Paid Time Off.
