Senior Avionics Ground Systems Engineer (Electrical)

Description

As a Senior Avionics Ground Systems Engineer (Electrical) at Impulse, you will develop and integrate ground systems that interface with flight avionics, command and control systems, instrumentation, and vehicle networks.

In this role, you will develop robust electrical ground systems that enable rapid testing, seamless vehicle integration, and reliable launch execution in demanding environments. You’ll partner closely with avionics, RF, propulsion, software, structures, test, and integration teams to deliver high-performance data acquisition and control solutions that are safe, scalable, and mission ready.

This position is ideal for engineers who thrive in fast-paced environments, enjoy hands-on hardware development, and want to see their systems operate from initial concept through launch.

Responsibilities

• Own hardware through the full lifecycle, including architecture, schematic development, fabrication, integration, validation, and deployment
• Develop electrical architectures and interface definitions for ground support equipment, including power, instrumentation, communications, and data acquisition
• Design and integrate rack-level equipment, harnesses, enclosures, and vehicle interface hardware
• Develop and troubleshoot command, telemetry, data acquisition, and control interfaces between ground systems and flight hardware
• Perform system-level electrical testing, integration, and fault isolation
• Support vehicle test operations and launch campaigns, including real-time troubleshooting of ground systems
• Define and procure COTS instrumentation, networking, computing, and interface hardware
• Create and maintain schematics, wiring documentation, interface drawings, and system-level documentation
• Collaborate cross-functionally with avionics, propulsion, software, test, and operations teams to deliver reliable systems on aggressive schedules

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline
• 5+ years in designing, building, and deploying electrical ground support equipment, avionics integration hardware, or other high-reliability electrical systems
• Strong understanding of electrical system design fundamentals, including signal integrity, grounding, shielding, EMI/EMC, and power distribution
• 1+ years of hands-on experience specifying, procuring, integrating, and testing electrical, instrumentation, networking, and computing hardware
• Familiarity with common aerospace and industrial communication protocols (Ethernet, RS-422, CAN etc.) and networking (TCP/IP, CAT5, serial protocols)
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced development and test environments

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 7+ years in designing, building, and deploying electrical ground support equipment, avionics integration hardware, or other high-reliability electrical systems
• Experience designing rack-level systems, harnessing, or enclosure integrations for Avionics or RF products
• Understanding of industrial electrical safety practices, including circuit protection, E-stops, safety relays, interlocks, and safe power distribution for hazardous operations
• 1+ years of experience with CAD tools such as NX for mechanical integration and layout design
• Familiarity with test automation, scripting, or controls software (Python, MATLAB, etc.)
• Understanding of networking fundamentals, including addressing, routing, switching, VLANs, latency, packet loss, etc.
• Experience with basic schematic capture (PCBAs) or electrical system documentation (EPlan)
• Prior experience supporting launch campaigns, propulsion testing, or integrated vehicle operations
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, take initiative, and drive hardware development in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

Additional Information:

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.