Electrical Engineer (Early Career)

northwoodspace•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

As an Electrical Engineer at Northwood, you will drive the electrical design of high-speed digital systems, own key aspects of PCB development, and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to optimize overall system performance. You will contribute to architecture trades, prototype bring-up, testing in lab and field settings, and ensure designs transition smoothly to production. Your work will directly support our mission to enable faster, more capable space operations through innovative ground infrastructure. Northwood is on a mission to transform connectivity between Earth and space. Satellites are only as powerful as the ground systems that connect to them - without that critical infrastructure, they can’t be steered or send their data back to Earth. Northwood’s global ground network ensures that missions ranging from national security, to global connectivity, to disaster response can unlock their full potential and operate every day without fail. We take a vertically integrated approach to building an end-to-end ground system, delivering technology that is scalable and reliable for both government and commercial customers. Backed by over $100M from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Washington Harbour Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, Founders Fund, and others, Northwood has proven its ability to move fast – we’ve stood up a fully operational site in Australia in just 3 months, where similar efforts typically take years. Northwood is rapidly scaling its global footprint, with 30+ sites planned across 2026 and 2027. We’re building and deploying infrastructure at a pace the industry hasn’t seen before. If you thrive on building quickly, solving hard problems, and seeing your work deployed globally on critical missions, we want you at Northwood.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a related engineering discipline
0-4+ years of professional experience in electrical design (internships, co-ops, and project experience qualify)

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in high-density/high-speed PCB design, including FPGAs, high-speed data converters, SerDes, 10/100 GigE networking, and JESD204C interfaces
Strong experience with schematic capture tools and best practices in PCB layout for signal integrity and power distribution
Hands-on troubleshooting of EMI/EMC issues (conducted or radiated)
Knowledge of PCB materials selection and board stack-up definition for high-performance applications
Familiarity with soldering, hot air rework, and prototype assembly techniques
Experience across the full product lifecycle, from concept through production ramp-up
Strong collaborative skills, enthusiasm for solving complex engineering challenges, and passion for advancing space communications technology

Responsibilities

Drive electrical design for high-speed digital communication systems, implementing RF and mixed-signal designs in complex, multilayer PCBs
Work with 100G high-speed networking, intricate digital power trees, and lead system trades to inform architecture decisions
Perform schematic capture, PCB layout oversight, and bring-up/validation on diverse digital systems including FPGAs, microcontrollers, and associated peripherals
Collaborate closely with hardware, software, RF, antenna, FPGA, and firmware engineers to optimize system performance and design integration
Test prototypes rigorously in the lab and field to assess and improve performance
Partner with production teams to develop testable, manufacturable products for efficient in-house integration and scaling