Integration & Test Engineer

K2 Space•Los Angeles, CA

10d

About The Position

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space. The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits. We're a team that believes the future lies in building large, high-powered satellites that can handle multiple orbits. With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply. The Role As an Integration & Test Engineer, you’ll be the last line of defense for all operations when the satellite is powered. Acting as a satellite controller, you’ll be in the driver’s seat of the satellite; all satellite activities go through you. Using a first principles approach, you’ll be responsible for defining test plans that simulate all modes of flight, dictating what the vehicle needs to do, when, why, and how often. Your work will span most technical disciplines at the company and will require you to build consensus from multiple teams. Initial ground and on-orbit operations will be more manual but quickly grow into fully automated activities. As you build your knowledge of the vehicle through manual procedures and vehicle control, you’ll be positioned to take the next step with the Vehicle Operations team towards a fully automated future.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical, aerospace, mechanical, computer, or other engineering discipline
2+ years of experience in an integration/test/automation engineering role (includes internships and design/build/compete extracurricular projects)
Experience testing and troubleshooting spacecraft and their related components and systems, including subsystem checkouts and system acceptance testing
Experience with environmental testing, such as thermal vacuum or random vibration
Experience working in a clean room and with ESD-sensitive equipment
Hands-on experience using electrical test equipment (PSU, Oscilloscope, DMM, etc.)
Hands-on experience with HITL or Flatsat software verification testbeds
Excellent conflict resolution and negotiation skills

Nice To Haves

Proficient in Python and/or Rust
Experience with Linux systems
Experience managing contractual interfaces (e.g. customer, launch vehicle)

Responsibilities

Collaborate with design and systems engineers to define test plans with pass/fail criteria for vehicle checkouts
Develop test procedures used to confirm spacecraft hardware and software flightworthiness
Operate spacecraft (interpret telemetry, send commands) during system tests at the factory, test facilities, launch sites, and during pre-launch operations
Investigate and troubleshoot vehicle issues and drive further actions to reduce future failures
Understand general vehicle operations and become expert for at least 1 subsystem on the vehicle
Regularly lead and organize vehicle operations activities for the integration campaign
Act as a test conductor (and POC, if offsite) for environmental test campaigns
Own and maintain HITL table configuration and build out, including the racks
Create and release harness drawings for required ground support equipment
Support pre-launch activities at the launch provider’s payload processing facility
Support Mission Operations by acting as a satellite controller while vehicle is on-orbit