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Full-Time

Principal Hardware Engineer I

Confirmed live in the last 24 hours

CesiumAstro

CesiumAstro

51-200 employees

Develops compact communication systems for space

Hardware
Aerospace

Expert

Milton Keynes, UK

Category
Hardware Engineering
Electronic Hardware Engineering
Hardware Validation & Testing
Required Skills
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design
Altium
Requirements
  • Bachelor of Science (BS) degree or higher in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
  • Minimum of 9 years of industry or university research experience in board-level electronics design, analysis, and test.
  • Direct experience designing high-reliability electronics and small systems for space or defense applications, including part derating, worst-case analysis, and thermal constraints.
  • Experience owning the design phase of complex board-level electronics and small hardware systems, including architecture design, trade studies, key part selection, and detailed design.
  • Multiple experiences delivering hardware products through production and deployment.
  • Expertise in PCB layout and manufacturing, including high-density interconnect (HDI) stackup design, IPC standards, and industry best practices.
  • Expertise derisking designs with board-level signal integrity and/or power integrity simulation tools such as Ansys SIwave, ADS SIPro, or Mentor Hyperlynx.
  • Strong understanding of adjacent fields, such as software and mechanical, that contributes to judicious design of hardware system architectures.
  • Expert-level proficiency in electronics design tools such as Altium.
  • Extensive lab experience for bring-up and verification of new hardware, based on in-depth understanding of specialized lab equipment.
  • Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
Responsibilities
  • Own end-to-end design of complex electronics modules and systems, from concept and architecture through schematic, layout, test, and production. Products may include high-speed digital, power electronics, and/or RF.
  • Lead teams of hardware engineers to develop new products with multiple electronics modules.
  • Provide subject matter expertise in support of hardware development across the company.
  • Develop hardware architecture and write hardware requirements for systems of high complexity.
  • Perform detailed and complete schematic design for complex boards, ranging from key components to supporting passives.
  • Perform detailed PCB layout in Altium Designer for complex boards, often working with a PCB Drafter.
  • Complete analysis such as worst-case circuit analysis, signal integrity analysis, and power integrity analysis. Guide analysis methodology.
  • Develop bring-up plans and design verification plans for new hardware and complex systems.
  • Perform bring-up and key verification testing of modules and complex integrated systems, often working with a team to complete validation.
  • Release modules and assemblies to production, working with the Manufacturing and Test Engineering teams.
  • Mentor junior and senior engineers to build technical understanding and professional development.
  • Use strong working knowledge of adjacent fields, such as software and mechanical, to streamline development of complex hardware systems.

CesiumAstro develops compact and efficient communication systems specifically for space applications. Their products, such as the Nightingale Series and CommPack, are designed to be small and scalable, optimizing Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C) for aerospace needs. The company also offers a range of products including a software-defined radio, a credit-card-sized single-board computer, and a compact DC-to-DC converter. CesiumAstro differentiates itself by providing modular hardware and software solutions that can be customized for specific missions, catering to clients like NASA. The goal of CesiumAstro is to deliver affordable, mission-ready communication payloads by leveraging advanced semiconductor and manufacturing technologies.

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$120.2M

Headquarters

Austin, Texas

Founded

2017

Growth & Insights
Headcount

6 month growth

18%

1 year growth

36%

2 year growth

81%
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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • The recent $65 million Series B+ funding round led by Trousdale Ventures provides significant financial backing for expansion and product development.
  • Selection by Rocket Lab to provide multi-beam Ka-band communications payloads for the Space Development Agency's Tranche 2 Transport Layer Constellation highlights CesiumAstro's industry leadership.
  • Founder and CEO Shey Sabripour's appointment to the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium Executive Committee underscores the company's influence and leadership in the aerospace sector.

What critics are saying

  • The lawsuit alleging trade secret misappropriation by a former executive could lead to legal and financial repercussions.
  • The niche market of space-based radio technology is highly competitive, with only a handful of companies working at the cutting edge, increasing the pressure to continuously innovate.

What makes CesiumAstro unique

  • CesiumAstro's focus on compact, high-performance communication systems for space applications sets it apart in the aerospace market, where size, weight, power, and cost are critical factors.
  • Their modular hardware and software building blocks offer seamless integration for mission-specific payload configurations, providing a unique value proposition.
  • The company's utilization of the latest semiconductor and manufacturing technologies ensures they remain at the forefront of innovation, offering affordable solutions with a first-mover advantage.