Senior Electrical Design Engineer; Clearance

Senior Electrical Design Engineer (Clearance preferred)

About Capella Space:
Capella Space is a pioneer in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite technology and space-based signal intelligence. We empower government, commercial, and research organizations worldwide with high-resolution, timely Earth insights that drive better decisions across defense and intelligence, disaster response, infrastructure monitoring, environmental protection, energy, and more. As a U.S.

-based company, we design, build, and operate an advanced constellation of commercial SAR satellites, backed by a fully automated tasking, collection, and delivery platform. Our collaboration with IonQ brings quantum computing to space, enabling ultra‑secure, encrypted uplink and downlink capabilities, reduced latency, and powerful on‑orbit analytics. Capella was named one of Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Companies in Space in 2023 and is a trusted partner of multiple U.S. government agencies.

• You’ll ship real hardware to space—and own it end to end.
• You’ll work on small, highly‑skilled teams with immediate impact.
• You’ll grow in a culture that values mentorship, autonomy, and technical excellence.
• You’ll help shape the future of Earth observation with modern engineering.

As an Electrical Hardware Design Engineer, you’ll take ownership of full‑cycle PCBA designs—from early concept to flight readiness. You will work cross‑functionally with RF, mechanical, software, and operations teams to bring high‑reliability, space‑ready electronics to life and present across disciplines to facilitate ideas, product readiness, and conduct reviews.

• Drive the full electrical design lifecycle for spaceflight hardware: schematic capture, layout, bring‑up, test, and manufacturing handoff.
• Develop robust analog/digital designs for mission‑critical systems under environmental and performance constraints.
• Participate and host collaborative cross‑disciplinary design reviews
  , sharing feedback and shaping solutions with experienced engineers.
• Provide critical input to schedule planning and hardware requirements.
• Lead board‑level bring‑up and debugging
  , integrating firmware/software with embedded systems.
• Define test plans and verification strategies that meet flight readiness requirements.
• Play a key role in scaling up our manufacturing facility by bringing hardware from prototype to low‑volume production.
• Collaborate across teams
  —mechanical, RF, software, and systems—to ensure seamless integration.
• Mentor early‑career engineers
  , contributing to internal process improvements and elevating overall team quality.
• Engage with external vendors and CMs
  , ensuring delivery quality, resolving DFM/DFT issues, and ensuring on‑time delivery.
• Contribute to failure analysis and root‑cause investigations across flight or test anomalies.

• You consistently deliver flight‑quality hardware on schedule with minimal oversight.
• You proactively identify and articulate system‑level risks and drive mitigations early.
• You communicate across hardware/software and cross‑functional gaps with confidence and clarity.
• You make thoughtful trade‑offs in constrained environments and justify them with data.
• You show curiosity about advanced areas like architecture optimization or radiation mitigation—even if they’re outside your scope for now.

• 6+ years of experience designing and debugging.
• Proficiency in Altium Designer (or similar ECAD tools).
• Hands‑on experience with lab instruments (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power analyzers, etc.).
• Solid understanding of digital buses (I2C, SPI, UART, RS422, CAN, USB, PCIe, Ethernet, etc.).
• Familiarity with board bring‑up, test planning, and design verification workflows.
• Experience interacting with contract manufacturers, supporting DFM reviews, and resolving production issues.
• Strong documentation habits and organizational skills.
• Active security clearance preferred.
• Compliance with U.S. Government space technology export regulations (ITAR). Capella employees must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or eligible for required authorizations. Learn more about ITAR here.