Senior Electrical Engineer – Avionics Hardware

About Phantom

At Phantom Space Corporation, we provide a rare opportunity to join a startup founded by people who are passionate about what they do. We are seeking like-minded people who inspire others with their drive, determination, and unshakable work ethic, to join our team. 

Position Summary

Phantom Space is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to perform design and analysis of electrical systems including circuitry, wire harness assemblies, sensors, actuators, power sources, and other electrical components for launch vehicles, satellites, and supporting equipment.  You will take ownership of avionics designs and be responsible for their success by developing detailed requirements and test plans, designing robust electronic hardware with state-of-the-art components and techniques, and assisting with the required testing to validate behavior and performance.  This is a hands-on role that requires both design and lab skills to see efforts through from concept through implementation and ultimately vehicle deployment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Developing electrical schematics and PCB layouts for launch vehicles, satellites, subcomponents, and ground support systems
• Performing circuit simulations and analysis to verify design operation and performance, including SPICE simulations, worst-case circuit analysis, power budgets, and component derating
• Defining requirements, writing test procedures, and establishing pass/fail criteria
• Performing trade studies to find the best design approaches and component selections to solve challenging problems in electronic designs
• Lead design reviews for avionics projects and participate in reviews of other portions of vehicle systems
• Provide mentorship to more junior members of the avionics team, and assist other teams within the company when electrical expertise is needed
• Assist with lab bringup of avionics hardware, assemblies and systems, and troubleshooting issues as they occur
• Producing assembly drawings for circuit boards and wire harnesses, communicating with vendors to have designs manufactured
• Working closely with the vehicle avionics team on system development
• Performing inspections and installation of parts and components on test and flight systems
• Designing and building test equipment to carry out various needs associated with testing
• Keeping immediate supervisor up to date on all projects, with regards to project status, completion time, and any problems that may have arisen during the course of the project
• Performing other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent
• Preferred 8+ years professional experience, or 5+ years experience working directly on avionics for launch vehicles, satellites, or aircraft
• Knowledge of electrical engineering practices and principles, with design experience in at least one of: embedded systems, signal conditioning and data acquisition, power electronics, or RF
• Expertise with any commonly-used ECAD software, such as KiCad or Altium Designer

• End-to-end design experience: taking electronic designs all the way from initial requirements definition through schematic capture, layout, PCB fabrication and assembly, lab bringup, and design iteration
• Knowledge of PCB design standards and best practices, including IPC and JEDEC standards

• Electronics lab experience: familiarity with equipment such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, signal generators, and power supplies, and using such equipment to debug electronics hardware
• Proficiency with basic soldering and crimping tools; SMT soldering skills are a plus
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Must be a self-starter, able to decompose moderately complex projects into individual tasks and processes

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with environmental qualification and acceptance testing of avionics hardware

• Experience in testing processes, equipment such as strain gauges, pressure transducers, thermocouples, and thermistors
• Proficiency in at least one programming language, with a preference for Python, C/C++, MATLAB or LabView
• Familiarity with any/all of: MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-704, derating per EEE-INST-002, compliance with RCC 319 and RCC 324.

This role is on-site in Tucson, AZ, for 40 hours per week, with occasional extended hours to support critical activities such as launches and vehicle testing.

Salary and Benefits

We are competitive in compensation and offer equity as part of the package. We have competitive benefits that include health, vision, dental, 401K in comparison to other startups.

ITAR Requirements

This position requires compliance with U.S. Government space technology trade restrictions, specifically the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and additional regulations governing satellite, launch vehicle, missile, and other related technologies.  All jobs restricted by these regulations will be contingent upon the applicant’s status as a documented U.S. Person or their ability to receive a trade license from the cognizant government agency; in addition to any required company background checks and in compliance with applicable U.S. laws.  Similarly, positions requiring the ability to work on government contracts or a security clearance are also contingent upon the applicants ability to receive the appropriate clearance and be allowed to work on U.S. government contracts.

The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, drug free workplace, and complies with ADA regulations as applicable.