Principal PCB Layout Engineer

K2 Space • Los Angeles, CA

12d • $150,000 - $200,000

About The Position

K2 Space is building large, high-powered spacecraft for the next generation of space development. Backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Altimeter Capital, and many others ($200M raised to date), we intend to mass produce the highest-powered satellite platforms ever built for missions across LEO to Deep Space. The rise of launch vehicles like Falcon 9 and Starship enables the move from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance. We believe this new era requires spacecraft with a fundamentally different design in order to fully utilize the massive rockets coming to market. We’re a team that believes the future lies in building large, high-powered satellites that can handle multiple orbits. This is a necessity if we ever want 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 B space startup, we’d love for you to apply. You’ll work closely with Electrical Engineers to design critical electronics across all K2 Space satellites, ranging from kW-scale power converters to high-performance flight computers. You’ll be responsible for driving the creation of foundational engineering processes for electrical design, including design for manufacture (DFM), design for test (DFT), and library management. In your first six months, you will complete design of your first PCBAs to be tested and integrated in flight hardware. In your first year you will expand your work to develop the tools to support multiple flight designs. In your first two years you will have flown your electronics in space and developed processes that inform K2 Space designs for novel satellite architectures.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering AND/OR 10+ years of professional experience in PCB Layout
• Experience designing and testing electronics PCBAs in a fast-paced environment

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Altium Designer
• Experience with relevant industry standards and specifications such as IPC-6012 and J-STD-001
• Expertise in full-cycle PCB design and manufacture, floor planning, power integrity, signal integrity, material selection, and through-hole and surface mount assembly techniques
• Experience with high-speed digital layout of microprocessor, FPGA, and DRAM designs, impedance control, and transmission lines
• Experience with kW scale power converter PCB layout, including both isolated and non-isolated topologies
• Experience with high voltage design, multi-gigabit SerDes design and clock distribution
• Familiarity with standard interfaces such as Ethernet, SPI, I2C, and PCIe
• Experience with EMC and EMI mitigation
• Experience with high-density BGA fanout and routing
• Experience with PCB array design and manufacturing documentation
• Experience with scripting and automation for internal PCB design tool development

Responsibilities

• Serve as the subject matter expert for PCB layout and design stack-ups for power, analog, digital, and RF printed circuit boards
• Develop library part creation and maintenance best practices
• Architect design for test and manufacture guidelines for circuit board designs in collaboration with internal teams and manufacturers

Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $150,000 - $200,000 + equity in the company
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 51-100 employees