Staff Electrical Engineer I - Phased Array Unit Lead

Job description

***Please Note:**To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.* At **CesiumAstro**, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team. We are seeking a highly skilled **Principal Electrical** **Engineer** to lead the design, development, integration, test, and flight qualification of advanced spaceborne payloads. This post focuses on the role of **Unit Lead (aka Responsible Engineer) in our Phased Array product line, focusing on Ka-band Active Electronically Steered Arrays (AESAs)**. CesiumAstro AESAs are state-of-the-art electronics assemblies consisting of an antenna element array, RF electronics, digital array control, and power conversion – engineered into a single box using a modular but optimized approach. The Unit Lead is responsible for **both** **technical definition and execution** of a new AESA product. This combines deep, multi-disciplinary technical accountability with responsibility for on-time schedule execution. The project may include the development of new active antenna modules, new RF and power/digital backplanes, new array control and power conversion, and/or new software features, coming together into a qualified, customer-ready product. The Unit Lead is the leader of the multidisciplinary technical team, the primary point of contact for the program manager, and often a key interface point for our customers. Success in this role requires deep expertise in technical topics as well as project management, leadership, and communication in a fast-paced startup environment. ### JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - Serve as the AESA Unit Lead and primary technical point of contact for the box throughout the product development lifecycle. - Lead the end-to-end engineering effort for the box, including architecture, design, prototyping, integration, test, environmental qualification, and flight readiness. - Coordinate and direct a team of RF, digital, power, mechanical, thermal, software, and systems engineers to ensure consistent and timely technical execution. - Hold schedule accountability for the box development. - Develop and review payload control schemes, internal data interfaces, command & telemetry architecture, and firmware/software integration as needed. - Manage all flight qualification activities, including environmental test planning (thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, EMC), margin assessment, and final acceptance testing. - Own the transition to volume production, including manufacturability, testability, and customer-facing documentation. - Generate and maintain box-level documentation: requirements, ICDs, block diagrams, test plans, verification matrices, risk registers, and design reviews. - Interface with spacecraft systems engineering, mission assurance, manufacturing, vendors, and test facilities. - Drive root cause analysis, anomaly resolution, and technical risk mitigation throughout development and test campaigns. - Communicate status, technical trades, risks, and design decisions to internal leadership and external customers. ### JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering or a related field. - 8 years of engineering experience in electronics hardware development. - Hands-on experience with related technologies such as active phased array antennas. - Expertise in antennas and board-level RF electronics. - Strong familiarity with power/digital support circuitry and design for manufacturability. - Experience testing active antennas, including measuring EIRP and G/T. - Leadership experience, including mentoring or leading multidisciplinary engineering teams. - Strong knowledge of systems engineering practices, requirements flowdown, verification/validation, and configuration management. - Excellent communication skills with ability to present complex technical information to diverse audiences. ### PREFERRED EXPERIENCE - Proven experience executing or overseeing flight qualification and environmental test campaigns (TVAC, vib/shock, EMC, radiation considerations). - Experience managing hardware/software product development projects. - Experience with radiation-tolerant design. - Experience with high-rate manufacturing, rapid development cycles, and/or NewSpace ecosystems. - Prior role as a Responsible Engineer, Technical Lead, IPT Lead, or Chief Engineer on flight hardware. - Experience in high-frequency antenna design e.g. Ka band. - Experience mentoring less-experienced project engineers and design engineers in associated discipline. - High energy and a “get it done” attitude.