The RoleThis role is ideal for engineers who combine deep physics and radiation expertise with strong systems intuition and an interest in building large-scale compute infrastructure beyond Earth.
This role is located onsite in San Carlos or Seattle WA.
Responsibilities- Lead radiation effects analysis and resilience strategy for orbital compute systems.
- Analyze radiation effects on advanced semiconductor devices including GPUs, CPUs, FPGAs, networking ASICs, memory subsystems, and power electronics.
- Evaluate and develop mitigation techniques for SEU, SET, SEL, TID, and displacement damage.
- Define architectural resilience strategies including ECC, redundancy, fault detection and recovery, and software-defined fault tolerance mechanisms.
- Plan and execute radiation test campaigns.
- Coordinate with external laboratories and test facilities to define test conditions, sample preparation, biasing configurations, and data collection methodologies.
- Analyze radiation test results and derive reliability metrics including cross-section analysis, FIT estimation, and mission reliability projections.
- Develop radiation hardness assurance (RHA) methodologies for compute platforms and high-density PCB systems.
- Collaborate with mechanical and packaging teams on shielding and structural mitigation strategies.
- Investigate radiation-induced anomalies and drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
- Contribute to component selection, platform architecture, and deployment readiness reviews.
Basic Qualifications- 5+ years hands-on experience in radiation effects analysis, radiation testing, or space systems reliability engineering.
- Deep understanding of radiation interactions with semiconductor devices and electronic systems.
- Strong knowledge of Total Ionizing Dose (TID), Single Event Effects (SEE), and Displacement Damage (DDD).
- Experience planning and executing radiation characterization campaigns with external test facilities.
- Experience working with high-performance compute hardware, semiconductor devices, or spaceborne electronics.
Preferred Qualifications- Familiarity with architectural fault tolerance and resilient distributed systems.
- Knowledge of NASA, ESA, ECSS, or MIL-STD radiation qualification standards.
- Experience with shielding optimization and materials
- Experience running radiation simulations and material characterization
Why This Role Is Different- Own critical hardware systems, not just a small component
- Fast iteration cycles with direct path from design to hardware testing
- Work closely across disciplines in a tightly integrated team
- High autonomy and ownership with real impact on the spacecraft
- Opportunity to help define hardware systems for a new class of space infrastructure
Compensation and BenefitsThe salary range for this position is
$185,000 - $200,000 annually.
The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.- Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
- Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement savings plan
- Paid time off
- 10 paid holidays per calendar year
- Paid parental leave
- Relocation assistance if applicable
- Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks
ITAR Requirements- Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.
DisclaimerThis job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.'s discretion.
