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Head of Electrical Engineering

Job in Washington, District of Columbia, 20022, USA
Listing for: AdAstra
Full Time position
Listed on 2026-09-25
Job specializations:
  • Engineering
    Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineer, Test Engineer, Systems Engineer
Salary/Wage Range or Industry Benchmark: 175000 - 225000 USD Yearly USD 175000.00 225000.00 YEAR
Job Description & How to Apply Below

About the Company

Our client is turning space into a factory floor. For decades, the semiconductor industry has faced a trade-off: the harder you push for performance, the more you sacrifice on yield and reliability. This early-stage team is changing that. They are developing off-Earth foundries that leverage the ultra-high vacuum of space to produce materials with purity and defect performance that no terrestrial fab can match.

This is not a science project; this is entirely new industrial capability, with launches already on the manifest. That means real hardware, rapid iteration, and a willingness to challenge assumptions from first principles as they design, fly, and improve mission by mission.

About the Role

This role is pivotal to making off-Earth manufacturing a reality. You will own the electrical systems that bring the manufacturing hardware to life, translating ambiguous mission and business requirements into flight worthy hardware and integration plans, and defining how the electrical team operates as they scale.

You will work shoulder-to-shoulder with exceptional engineers across disciplines, carrying hardware from first concept through flight and every iteration after. This is the kind of role where the right person shapes the engineering playbook, not just executes it.

Responsibilities
  • Lead electrical design and R&D for the reusable autonomous manufacturing vessels, including architecture, trade studies, detailed design, and integration across power electronics, avionics, RF, instrumentation, and test interfaces.
  • Directly own major ECAD assemblies and electrical product structure/BOM for critical systems, holding strong configuration discipline and high-quality release packages.
  • Drive the full hardware lifecycle from blank-sheet concept through schematic capture, PCB layout, prototype build, board bring-up, verification, qualification, and integration.
  • Design and analyze circuits for high-power electronics, power conversion and distribution, and mixed-signal interfaces, using space-rated and radiation-tolerant components.
  • Lead hands-on assembly, lab bring-up, and integration, and develop the post-launch checkout and test flows needed for repeated flight operations.
  • Define the direction of the team's electrical engineering and set the technical standard, leading and mentoring engineers as the team grows.
Preferred Experience
  • Experience developing spacecraft, satellite, launch, or other hardware built for vacuum, thermal, vibration, shock, and radiation environments.
  • Space robotics experience, or electrical design for precisely controlled mechanisms and the control circuitry behind them.
  • Experience designing, integrating, or qualifying high-reliability electronics with space-rated, radiation-tolerant, or rad-hard components.
  • Experience developing HITL systems, automated test, or qualification setups, with scripting in Python, MATLAB, or similar.
  • Experience supporting environmental and qualification testing, including thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, and EMI/EMC.
  • Experience in early-stage or high-growth environments where speed and judgment matter.
Compensation
  • Annual base pay of $,000, plus meaningful early-stage equity.
Logistical Requirements
  • Willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed around test campaigns, flight readiness, and major customer milestones.
  • Ability to travel for short and extended trips as needed.
  • To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
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