Senior Spacecraft Command & Data Handling EngineerOn-site in El Segundo, CATarget salary range: $146,200 - $260,000
The Spacecraft Command & Data Handling (C&DH) team is responsible for the architecture, design, integration, and technical leadership of spacecraft avionics and electrical systems. This role serves as a key technical authority for spacecraft electrical hardware and avionics architectures, ensuring mission success through robust system design, technical oversight, and strategic engineering leadership.
Responsibilities:- Architect spacecraft Command & Data Handling (C&DH) subsystem solutions that align with mission requirements, fault management strategies, and system-level objectives.
- Lead avionics architecture trade studies, balancing performance, power, mass, reliability, schedule, and cost considerations.
- Define and manage subsystem requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), verification plans, and validation activities.
- Perform and oversee analyses related to data budgets, signal integrity, timing synchronization, clock drift, jitter, and EMI/EMC compatibility.
- Lead vendor evaluations, make/buy assessments, and hardware selection decisions while managing technical, schedule, and lifecycle risks.
- Provide technical leadership during design, integration, environmental testing, and system-level verification activities.
- Support development of Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) architectures and contribute to spacecraft health management strategies.
- Resolve complex avionics and electrical hardware issues across the program lifecycle.
- Collaborate with systems engineering, software, integration & test, manufacturing, and mission operations teams.
- Mentor and develop junior engineers while promoting engineering best practices across the organization
Qualifications:- U.S. Citizenship is required by Federal Law
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Ability to obtain a U.S. Security Clearance; U.S. Citizenship is required. A final U.S. Security Clearance is required post-start.
- 9+ years of experience in spacecraft electrical systems, avionics engineering, or related aerospace hardware development.
- 9+ years of experience with spacecraft communication protocols, including:
- SpaceWire
- Ethernet
- RS-422/485
- LVDS
- 7+ years of experience in the design, analysis, integration, and testing of spacecraft electrical hardware or complex avionics systems.
Preferred Qualifications:- Level 5: 14+ years of relevant aerospace or spacecraft engineering experience.
- Experience serving as a Responsible Engineering Authority (REA), Lead Engineer, or Technical Lead on complex spacecraft programs.
- Experience developing spacecraft avionics architectures and system-level electrical designs.
- Strong knowledge of DoD, government, and space cybersecurity requirements for spacecraft systems.
- Experience supporting high-rate manufacturing or production environments.
- Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- Active U.S. Security Clearance.
- Experience mentoring engineering teams and establishing technical best practices.
