Military Programming Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Stellar Solutions, a nationally recognized "Great Place To Work", has exciting opportunities providing Engineering solutions for innovative new-entrant space companies, as well as established space systems manufacturers, commercial space system operators and service providers, and other industry stakeholders including investors.

At Stellar Solutions, we offer talented, energetic, and immediately productive resources to satisfy our customers' critical needs in systems engineering and integration, mission operations, program management and strategic planning. We are a leading service and expertise provider for high-tech commercial ventures, spanning communications, earth observation and remote sensing systems and data products, to the infrastructures that support earth orbiting and beyond earth orbit businesses.

Stellar Solutions is seeking a Hardware Systems Engineer, (mid-level) to support the development and deployment of next-generation strategic military satellite communications capabilities. This role will provide avionics hardware engineering expertise to help ensure successful integration of an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and receiver card, while providing independent technical assessment of hardware designs across the program lifecycle. The engineer will work closely with government personnel, program stakeholders, vendors, and integrated product teams to help deliver mission capabilities that address evolving national security needs.

The Hardware Systems Engineer, Mid will serve as a key technical contributor supporting avionics hardware development, requirements, verification, and integration. This role will provide technical insight to government engineering leadership, coordinate across multiple technical organizations, and help identify and manage risks affecting hardware performance and program execution. Consistent with Stellar's preferred role framing, the position combines hands-on engineering assessment with cross-enterprise collaboration and decision-quality technical communication.

Key responsibilities include:

Provide independent technical assessments of avionics hardware designs throughout the program lifecycle.
• Evaluate hardware designs at Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, and Test Readiness Review milestones, including schematics, PCB layouts, and parts-selection rationale.
• Develop, review, and refine government hardware requirements and associated verification approaches.
• Author or evaluate hardware requirements specifications, interface control documents, technical requirements documentation, and verification matrices traceable to system-level requirements.
• Support successful integration of ASIC and receiver-card hardware to meet user and mission needs.
• Represent the government as a technical lead in vendor and Integrated Program Team working groups.
• Identify, document, and communicate technical risks through the program's established risk management process.
• Coordinate across Integrated Program Teams and component vendors to resolve technical issues without direct authority.
• Brief technical findings, risks, and recommendations to senior government leadership.
• Provide direct technical support to the Lead Systems Engineer.
• Manage the integration of hardware requirements into the program baseline.
• Work collaboratively and independently to complete complex technical tasks and support delivery of capabilities aligned with mission needs.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience with hardware engineering.
• Experience reviewing avionics hardware designs at PDR, CDR, and TRR milestones, including schematics, PCB layouts, and parts-selection rationale.
• Experience authoring or evaluating hardware requirements specifications, ICDs, and verification matrices traceable to system-level requirements.
• Experience developing requirements documentation, including TRDs.
• Experience with risk processes and risk management.
• Ability to coordinate across Integrated Program Teams and component vendors to resolve technical issues without direct authority.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively in cross-functional team meetings and professional environments.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently and demonstrate initiative in completing complex tasks.
• Bachelor's degree.

Desired Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience with avionics hardware engineering supporting DoD programs.
• Experience supporting Air Force, Space Force, or other DoW programs.
• Experience with VHDL, Verilog, embedded C, or board bring-up and debug.
• Experience with Aviation GPS Receiver Cards.
• Experience with ASICs and FPGAs.
• Experience working with new technology programs for embedded systems.
• Experience with obsolescence management, supply chain risk, or trusted microelectronics.
• Knowledge of DO-254 design assurance or equivalent airworthiness and safety-of-flight processes.
• Knowledge of electronics qualification environments, including salt fog, EMI/EMC, shock, and vibration.
• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline.

Clearance & Additional Requirements

• Secret clearance is required.
• Applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Location:

This position is located in El Segundo, CA

Compensation:

The typical salary range for this position is USD $125,000 - $165,000 per year. Individual pay is determined by many factors including work location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for a comprehensive total rewards package that includes an annual performance bonus, an employer-funded Profit-Sharing Plan (PSP) contribution based on base compensation, and comprehensive employer-paid medical benefits, PTO pay-out options, along with additional company-sponsored benefits. All of these benefits represent an additional 30-40% to your base compensation for a total compensation package.

Deliverables will be in the format of reports, briefings, spreadsheets, or other documents as directed by the Government, using government approved and/or mandated systems/software and processes governed by guidance/instructions/policy or direction.