Space Systems Engineer
About The Position
EraDrive builds autonomy software and hardware that enable spacecraft to see, decide, and act with minimal human control. Its software is already operating in space, and the company is expanding its products to support rendezvous, on-orbit inspection, and space-based sensing. The Space Systems Engineer will be an early member of the EraDrive engineering team and lead end-to-end systems engineering and technical execution for multiple Era-Node flight hardware payloads, from requirements definition through design, implementation, qualification, host-spacecraft integration, and on-orbit operations. The role owns system architecture, interfaces, verification strategy, technical baseline, and risk posture across mechanical, thermal, electrical, software, autonomy, and operations domains. It coordinates EraDrive’s engineering team, drives cross-disciplinary decisions, and serves as the primary technical interface to vendors, the host spacecraft bus team, and program sponsors. This is a hands-on technical leadership position involving detailed interface and requirements work, technical reviews, test campaigns, and delivery of qualified, integrated, operable flight systems.
Requirements
- Degree in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a closely related field.
- Experience leading end-to-end development of satellite buses, hosted payloads, avionics, or flight hardware from concept through qualification, integration, and operations.
- Multidisciplinary understanding of mechanical, thermal, electrical, data, timing, software, autonomy, and spacecraft-operations interfaces.
- Experience with system trades, interface control, requirements and verification management, risk management, and formal technical reviews.
- Experience managing the technical baseline for multiple flight units or a small production run.
- Experience planning and executing functional and environmental test campaigns, including anomaly investigation and verification closure.
- Ability to coordinate and communicate technical status among internal teams and external vendors, bus providers, program sponsors, and customers.
- Clear, concise technical writing and presentation skills, and ability to move between detailed engineering work and program-level technical leadership in a small, fast-moving team.
Nice To Haves
- Experience integrating a hosted payload with a commercial or government spacecraft bus.
- Experience with U.S. Government or national-security space programs and their technical review, data, and mission-assurance processes.
- Experience with optical sensing payloads, cameras, embedded processors, precision timing hardware, radio crosslinks, or onboard autonomy systems.
- Experience with model-based systems engineering and requirements-management tools.
- Familiarity with spacecraft reliability, FMEA, radiation effects, EEE parts, supply-chain risk, and production quality controls.
- Experience supporting launch-site integration, on-orbit commissioning, or sustained spacecraft payload operations.
Responsibilities
- Lead the design, implementation, qualification, integration, and operational readiness of multiple Era-Node flight units.
- Translate mission and customer objectives into system architecture, concept of operation, requirements, and acceptance criteria.
- Define and control internal and external interfaces across mechanical, thermal, power, data, timing, software, autonomy, and operations domains.
- Coordinate GNC, software, AI/ML, mechatronics, hardware, and test teams; lead system trades, technical decisions, design reviews, and issue resolution.
- Serve as EraDrive’s technical point of contact to suppliers and manufacturing partners, the host bus provider, government sponsors, and customers; lead technical interchange meetings, technical tracking, and delivery.
- Develop and execute assembly, integration, and verification and validation strategies for engineering and flight units, from subsystem through end-to-end testing.
- Plan and lead environmental qualification and acceptance campaigns.
- Own system-level risk management and resolution across multiple flight units.
- Lead integration with the host spacecraft and ground segment, including command, telemetry, operational procedures, and flight-readiness activities.
- Support launch, commissioning, and operations by reviewing telemetry, investigating anomalies, and applying lessons learned to subsequent units.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
