Senior Payload Hardware / Primary Board Design Engineer

TrustPoint

$139K — $172K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering or related field (M.S. preferred).
  • 10+ years in complex mixed-signal and RF-adjacent circuit board design for space or aerospace.
  • Ownership experience of complex PCBs from design to functional testing.
  • Integrated performance experience of multi-board systems.
  • Knowledge of FPGA/firmware and software associated with designed boards.
  • Experience in manufacturability and production testing of designs.
  • Readiness to grow into a technical leader role.

Responsibilities

  • Own board-level design and bring-up of the payload's primary board.
  • Direct layout, assembly, and testing with various teams.
  • Ensure correct multi-board performance as an integrated system.
  • Design the precision timing and frequency reference signal chain.
  • Revise current payload hardware and define next-gen architecture.
  • Produce manufacturable and testable designs for production cadence.
  • Support anomaly investigations and design iterations.

Benefits

  • Equity (stock options) available upon hiring.
  • Standard benefits packages offered.
Full Job Description
The Position

With locations outside Washington DC and in Silicon Valley, TrustPoint is currently seeking a Full Time Senior Payload Hardware / Primary Board Design Engineer who wants to do more than design a board. You'll help build the hardware foundation that enables our constellation, solve the problems that come with turning ambitious space technology into flight-ready systems, and grow into a technical leader as the payload hardware team scales.
We'll Expect You To:
  • Own board-level design and bring-up of the payload's primary board, covering schematics, architecture, part selection, and first-power-on debug.
  • Direct the layout, assembly, and test executed by layout partners, assembly technicians, and the payload test team.
  • Ensure the multi-board payload performs correctly as an integrated system, coordinating closely with the RF lead on the amplifier board.
  • Design the payload's precision timing and frequency-reference signal chain, including the low-noise board partitioning needed to meet timing-stability requirements.
  • Sustain and revise current payload hardware while defining the next-generation payload architecture.
  • Produce manufacturable, testable designs that fit the per-unit acceptance flow and production cadence, not first articles alone.
  • Support anomaly investigation and design iteration.
You'll Need to Have:
  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering or a related field (M.S. preferred).
  • 10+ years of electrical engineering experience designing complex mixed-signal and RF-adjacent circuit boards (clock/timing distribution, low-noise power, high-speed digital, analog/RF interfaces) for space, aerospace, or other high-reliability hardware, with strong attention to signal and power integrity.
  • Demonstrated ownership of primary or otherwise complex PCBs from schematic and detailed design through fabrication, bring-up, and functional test, with the ability to walk through prior designs and design decisions in a hands-on interview task.
  • Experience owning integrated performance of a multi-board electronic system, beyond individual board designs.
  • Primarily an electrical engineer, with a working understanding of the FPGA/firmware and software that run on the boards you design.
  • Experience designing for manufacturability and test at production volumes.
  • Readiness to grow into technical leadership of the payload hardware team, including near-term oversight of a junior engineer.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Self-directed and comfortable working autonomously in a fast-paced startup environment.
  • Must be a U.S. Person.
We'd Like to See:
  • Experience with GNSS, precision timing, or oscillator and clock-distribution hardware.
  • Familiarity with SoC/FPGA-based payloads (e.g., Zynq) and the board-level support they require.
  • Hands-on PCB layout experience, enough to define layout constraints, review routing critically, and work effectively with external layout, fabrication, and assembly partners.
  • Prior experience mentoring engineers or leading a hardware team.
  • Experience supporting multiple hardware generations in parallel while maintaining design and configuration discipline.
Cultural Fit
  • Thrive in a start-up environment
  • Effective communication style that instills a culture of optimism and positivity
  • Sense of humor and ability to proactively problem solve.
  • Encourages colleagues to think and plan strategically while executing well tactically.
  • Works well with all company levels and disciplines (i.e. Legal, HR, etc.).
  • Willing to "roll up sleeves" in a new venture, working closely with colleagues.
Compensation and Benefits

The selected candidate will be competitively compensated with salary, equity (stock options), and standard benefits. The salary range for this position is $139,000 to $172,000.

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