Lead Avionics Engineer
- US citizenship
- ITAR / US person
How this pay compares
This posting states $145k–$175k a year. Open electrical engineer jobs in California post a median of $165k a year, the middle half $140k–$188k, across 304 jobs that state their pay, so this one is within the middle half of what they post.
Electrical engineers in California: pay by town and employer
About the job
As a Lead Avionics Engineer, you will be responsible for developing the Avionic systems for Impulse’s next generation of space vehicles. You will manage a team of talented electrical engineers who design and test custom circuit boards, working to rapidly develop high reliability electronics. You will work directly with mission managers, software engineers, propulsion engineers, integration, and customers.
You will have the opportunity to contribute to all aspects of spacecraft electronics development, from architecting new systems to building and operating them. ## Responsibilities - Drive program execution and schedule - Own system trades and analysis, requirement tracking, and risk mitigation - Support hardware from concept through design, production, integration, and flight - Lead a team of electrical engineers and mechanical engineers responsible for board design, manufacturing, and test - Establish and maintain high technical standards and mentor junior engineers - Develop qualification and test campaigns to verify designs meet mission requirements - Partner with mission managers, firmware, software, mechanical, manufacturing and test teams - Drive changes that make the system more efficient, manufacturable, and reliable ## Minimum Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field - 5+ years professional experience designing electronics for rockets, spacecraft, or other vehicles• - Experience with electronic component selection, analysis, simulation, schematics, and layout - Knowledge of analog and digital circuit design, power management, microcontrollers, digital and high-speed interfaces (SPI, ethernet, RS-422, etc.) - Hands on experience troubleshooting electronics problems at the board level - 1+ years of experience leading a team or technical project ## Preferred Skills and Experience - Master’s degree in electrical engineering or related field - Self-motivated with proven ability to lead a technical team and resolve critical issues - Experience developing new avionics hardware relevant to spacecraft or rockets and owning project schedules - Experience with reliability, radiation, EMC and other relevant concepts when designing avionics for spacecraft - Experience in a startup or fast paced agile development 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.
From Impulse Space's job posting, checked 7 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
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About Impulse Space
Transfer vehicles that carry satellites past the orbit their rocket leaves them in.
Pay on its listings: 100% of its open jobs state an hourly rate
How it pays: Paid as an employee on Impulse Space's own payroll (salaried or hourly, as each posting states).
More open jobs at Impulse Space
- Staff Digital Signal Processing Engineer$145,000–$185,000/yr
- Embedded Software Engineer$130,000–$280,000/yr
- Avionics Technician (Electromechanical Assembly)$25–$45/hr
- Propulsion Engineer, Stage$100,000–$140,000/yr
- Senior Propulsion Engineer, Stage$140,000–$195,000/yr
- Manufacturing Engineering Intern (Spring 2027)$30/hr
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