Lead Avionics Engineer

Lead Avionics Engineer
Location: Hawthorne, California
Employment Type: Full-Time | On-Site
Package: $150,000 – $180,000 + Equity + Benefits + PTO

Are you an experienced electrical engineer ready to take technical leadership over spacecraft electronics and avionics systems?

This is a rare opportunity to own the development of mission-critical hardware within a pioneering space startup working on breakthrough surface mobility and infrastructure systems for beyond-Earth environments.

This role offers high ownership from day one. You’ll lead the end-to-end development of avionics subsystems, from defining architecture and system-level trades to building and testing the physical hardware. Working alongside an elite multidisciplinary team, you’ll build flight hardware on aggressive timelines, with a focus on reducing cost, mass, and complexity compared to conventional aerospace approaches.

The ideal candidate thrives in hands-on environments, is fluent in rapid iteration, and wants to help scale a product that supports long-term human presence off-world.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, assembly, and testing of PCBs and electronic assemblies across motion control, power, and communications
• Define system-level electrical requirements, perform architecture trades, and justify design decisions
• Develop and enforce standards for fault-tolerant embedded systems and firmware integration
• Interface with mechanical and software teams to ensure seamless integration, manufacturability, and maintainability
• Guide test campaign development and qualification criteria using space industry benchmarks
• Build and manage a small team of engineers, owning the avionics roadmap from prototype through production

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline
• Minimum of 2 years of hands-on experience with PCB design, test, and bring-up
• Proven experience leading hardware development in fast-paced engineering environments
• Strong understanding of power electronics, embedded systems, and digital/analog design
• Comfort building test fixtures, harnesses, and support hardware for validation campaigns

Eligibility:
Must be eligible to work in the U.S. without sponsorship. This role requires compliance with U.S. export control regulations.

Application Instructions:
If you’re ready to lead avionics innovation in a bold space environment, apply now or send your resume to jake.payne@newspacetechnical.com