Electrical Hardware Design Engineer

Staff Electrical Hardware Design Engineer - Capella

Location: Louisville, CO office.
Travel: Up to 10% domestic or international.

The Role

As a Staff Electrical Hardware Design Engineer, you will take ownership of full‑cycle PCBA designs, from early concept to flight readiness. You will work cross‑functionally with RF, mechanical, software, FPGA/SoC, and operations teams to bring high‑reliability, space‑ready electronics to orbit. You will guide the Electrical Engineering team on special topics and present across disciplines to help facilitate ideas, product readiness, and conduct reviews.

Responsibilities

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

What Success Looks Like

• Consistently deliver flight‑quality hardware on schedule with minimal oversight
• Proactively identify and articulate system‑level risks and drive mitigations early
• Communicate across hardware/software and cross‑functional gaps with confidence and clarity
• Make thoughtful trade‑offs in constrained environments and justify them with data
• Show curiosity about advanced areas like architecture optimization or radiation mitigation, even if they’re outside your scope for now
• Exhibit advanced, wide‑ranging experience in electrical engineering, using in‑depth professional knowledge
• Get things done, align with stakeholders, and document concisely

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related field
• 8+ years of experience designing and debugging PCBAs
• 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
• U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or eligible for required authorizations under ITAR (as a Capella employee)

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in electrical engineering or related field
• Experience designing for harsh environments (thermal, vacuum, vibration, etc.)
• Familiarity with high‑speed design or impedance‑controlled layouts
• Basic scripting or automation in Python or C for hardware test workflows
• Exposure to radiation effects and mitigation in electronic design
• Familiarity with EMI/EMC design practices and validation
• Familiarity with satellite electrical systems engineering (EPS, GNSS, ADCS, space robotics, etc.)

Compensation

The approximate base salary range for this position is $145,920 - $191,047. The final level and annual salary will be determined based on education, qualification, knowledge, skills, ability, and experience of the final candidate, specific office location and calibrated against relevant market data and internal equity.

The benefits include comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, 401(k) matching, unlimited paid time off and holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, and a home technology stipend.

EEO Statement

IonQ is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a welcoming, respectful environment for all who apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other factor protected by law.