Electrical Engineer, Optical Communications

Aetherflux • San Carlos, CA

20h

About The Position

Aetherflux is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Aetherflux is transforming how civilization powers, computes, and connects—from orbit to Earth.

Aetherflux is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), providing secure, high-bandwidth optical data transport, and delivering energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space).

Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Aetherflux overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will fundamentally change how we operate in orbit and on Earth—supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and mission-critical environments.

Aetherflux was founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system.

Aetherflux has raised $90 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.

This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Aetherflux’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Astranis, NASA, Anduril, and the U.S. Navy, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build a generational energy and infrastructure company, we want to hear from you.

We are looking for an RF Engineer to design and deploy advanced communication systems with a strong emphasis on high-speed optical communications and software-defined radio architectures. This role sits at the boundary of networking, RF avionics, and embedded compute, requiring a systems-level approach to building robust, flight-capable communication pipelines.

You will own the development of RF and hybrid RF/optical communication subsystems capable of delivering high-throughput data links under real-world constraints including motion, atmospheric interference, thermal variation, and limited power budgets.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field
• 3+ years of experience in RF systems, communications engineering, or related domain
• Strong fundamentals in communication theory (modulation, coding, synchronization, signal propagation)
• Experience in designing PCBA’s for communication systems
• Experience with software-defined radio platforms
• Hands-on experience with RF lab equipment (spectrum analyzers, signal generators, VNAs, oscilloscopes)
• Familiarity with link budgeting and system-level performance analysis
• Experience working across hardware and software boundaries

Nice To Haves

• Experience designing or deploying high-speed optical communication systems (free-space optics, laser communications, coherent optical links, or photonics)
• Background in avionics, aerospace systems, or other mission-critical embedded environments
• Experience with real-time DSP implementation on embedded systems, FPGAs, or GPUs
• Familiarity with SDR frameworks and low-level radio hardware (e.g., USRPs or custom RF front-ends)
• Understanding of atmospheric effects on both RF and optical propagation (scattering, absorption, turbulence)
• Experience with pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) systems for optical links
• Knowledge of antenna systems, phased arrays, or optical beam steering technologies
• Experience with high-throughput data systems and low-latency communication architectures
• Experience working within SWaP (size, weight, and power) constraints for flight systems
• Strong debugging skills across the full stack: RF front-end, optical systems, firmware, and software

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate communication PCBAs, modulators, and devices for airborne or space-based platforms
• Architect and implement SDR-based communication pipelines (modulation, encoding, synchronization, and signal processing)
• Develop high-speed optical communication links (free-space optics / laser comms), including link budgeting, pointing and tracking, and alignment strategies with intelligent failover and redundancy
• Perform system-level trade studies from high-speed optical links
• Design and validate end-to-end communication chains, from data streams, through communication PCBAs, and to optical front-ends
• Collaborate closely with avionics, firmware, and compute teams to integrate comms systems into flight hardware
• Develop test infrastructure for lab and field validation, including over-the-air testing and optical link validation setups
• Analyze performance under real-world conditions (noise, interference, Doppler, atmospheric turbulence, pointing loss) and iterate rapidly
• Own documentation, interface definitions, and system performance metrics for communication subsystems

Benefits

• Equity in Aetherflux
• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid leave for new parents
• Relocation assistance
• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level