CesiumAstro

Designs satellite communications hardware and software

Senior Staff Electrical Engineer - Payload

Hardware Systems IntegrationConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeWestminster, CO, USAIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering or a related field is required.
At least 12 years of engineering experience in electronics hardware development is required.
Hands-on experience with related technologies such as active phased array antennas is required.
Expertise in antennas and board-level radio frequency electronics is required.
Strong familiarity with power and digital support circuitry and design for manufacturability is required.
Leadership experience, including mentoring or leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, is required.
Strong knowledge of systems engineering practices, requirements flowdown, verification and validation, and configuration management is required.
The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and present complex technical information to diverse audiences.
The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee or refugee, or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Responsibilities

Serve as Payload Lead Engineer and primary technical point of contact for the payload throughout the product development lifecycle.
Lead the end-to-end engineering effort for the payload, including architecture, design, prototyping, integration, testing, environmental qualification, and flight readiness.
Coordinate and direct Unit Leads developing AESA and RPU boxes for the payload, as well as engineers working directly on the combined payload.
Maintain schedule accountability for payload development.
Develop and review payload control schemes, internal data interfaces, command and telemetry architecture, and firmware and software integration as needed.
Manage flight qualification activities, including environmental test planning for thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, and electromagnetic compatibility; margin assessment; and final acceptance testing.
Own the transition to volume production, including manufacturability, testability, and customer-facing documentation.
Generate and maintain payload-level requirements, interface control documents, 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.

Desired Qualifications

Proven experience executing or overseeing flight qualification and environmental test campaigns, including thermal vacuum, vibration and shock, electromagnetic compatibility, and radiation considerations.
Experience testing active antennas, including measuring equivalent isotropically radiated power and gain-to-noise-temperature ratio.
Experience managing hardware and software product development projects.
Experience with radiation-tolerant design.
Experience with high-rate manufacturing, rapid development cycles, or NewSpace ecosystems.
Prior experience as a Responsible Engineer, Technical Lead, integrated product team lead, or Chief Engineer on flight hardware.
Experience in high-frequency antenna design, such as Ka band.
Experience mentoring less-experienced project engineers and design engineers in the associated discipline.

Salary Range: 184000 to 225000 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)

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 Senior Staff Electrical Engineer to lead the design, development, integration, test, and flight qualification of advanced spaceborne payloads.

This post focuses on the role of Payload Lead Engineer (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 Payload Lead is responsible for the technical development of a new payload product consisting of a phased array (AESA) and a processing unit (RPU). This combines deep, multi-disciplinary technical accountability with responsibility for on-time schedule execution.

The Payload 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 Payload Lead Engineer and primary technical point of contact for the payload throughout the product development lifecycle.

Lead the end-to-end engineering effort for the payload, including architecture, design, prototyping, integration, test, environmental qualification, and flight readiness.

Coordinate and direct Unit Leads developing AESA and RPU boxes for the payload, as well as engineers working directly on the combined payload.

Hold schedule accountability for the payload 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 payload-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.

12+ 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.

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 testing active antennas, including measuring EIRP and G/T.

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

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

About the Company

CesiumAstro

Designs satellite communications hardware and software

CesiumAstro builds end-to-end space and airborne communications systems, combining hardware and software to connect satellites, UAVs, and ground stations. Its products include active phased array antennas, software-defined radios, and complete RF payloads that enable electronically steered links for inter-satellite communication, high-rate downlinks, lunar communications, and 5G/NTN networks. The company ships plug-and-play, commercially manufactured, full-stack systems designed to be flexible and cost-efficient, rather than bespoke one-off solutions. Its goal is to make space-based connectivity more accessible and adaptable across space, air, and ground networks for both government and commercial customers.

Company size: 501-1,000
Company stage: Debt Financing
Total funding: $1.6B
Headquarters: Bee Cave, TX
Founded: 2017

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