Digital Space Instrument Electrical Engineer; R&D Engineer

What You Will Do

Come join our passionate team of R&D engineers and scientists supporting national security! The Space Electronics and Signal Processing (ISR-4) Group is seeking R&D Electrical Engineers to assist and lead the design and development of high-quality, innovative measurement systems followed by their deployment to space for national security applications and NASA missions. This job is the essence of “Cradle to Grave” engineering;

once designed, built, and tested, you will often provide subject matter expertise for payload delivery, launch, and operations over the life of the mission whether in earth orbit for 10+ years, Mars, or deep space.

ISR Division designs, builds, delivers, and exploits innovative ground‑and space‑based measurement systems and provides unique analysis and interpretation of data from these systems. We succeed through our cohesive, interdisciplinary teams of engineers, technicians, and scientists working within a highly creative and dynamic R&D environment. Our projects range from cutting‑edge scientific explorations expanding our knowledge of the universe, to ensuring national and global security.

ISR’s 400+ instruments fly on over 200 satellites, including numerous NASA missions like Voyager, which has left our solar system, and the last two Mars Rovers. For more information go to lanl.gov/space.

If you possess self‑initiative and enjoy working in a small team environment of rapid prototype, high quality, low volume, electrical assemblies this is the job for you. ISR-4 is looking for a few highly motivated mid‑career electrical engineers to assist in the development of custom instrumentation for various space‑based detection systems. These systems can include:

• Satellite‑based detectors for space monitoring programs in support of nonproliferation and nuclear event detection missions;
• Payloads for planetary science missions;
• Smallsat and Cubesat Systems.

As a Digital Space Instrument Design Engineer (R&D Engineer 3), you will collaborate across science and engineering disciplines to define instrument requirements and lead the design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of spaceflight hardware, with a primary focus on architecting high‑speed data acquisition with FPGA‑based systems. You are a recognized technical contributor with advanced expertise, capable of independently driving complex designs and ensuring performance in demanding space environments.

In this role, you serve as a technical leader within ISR, providing in‑depth evaluation of design tradeoffs and guiding key engineering decisions. You apply advanced electrical engineering methodologies with a strong commitment to safety, security, and quality. You also contribute to team growth through mentorship, collaboration, and clear technical communication, while continuing to expand your own expertise and impact.

Demonstrated advanced experience in digital electronic design for instrumentation or similar high‑performance systems, including:

• FPGA‑based design and implementation using VHDL
• High‑speed data acquisition and digital signal processing architectures
• Design, integration, and verification of high‑throughput communication interfaces such as Space Wire, Ethernet, serial transceivers, or related protocols in the Gb/s regime
• Synchronous digital design, simulation, timing analysis, synthesis, routing, and hardware validation
• Development of test benches, verification methodologies, and debugging strategies for FPGA‑based systems
• Integration of digital subsystems with analog, sensor, and embedded processing hardware
• Experience debugging & troubleshooting circuits/prototypes in a lab environment

• Demonstrated ability to lead and execute technical work both independently and in a multidisciplinary team environment with engineers, scientists, and technicians. Applies advanced expertise in one or more areas of engineering to guide the research, design, verification, and validation of electrical engineering solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts, support…