Permanent Payload Operator Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Scout Space is building a new way to see and operate in space: with a new paradigm of data empowering every satellite to make space safer. We are a rapidly-growing team; we are deploying real solutions to orbit over the next 2 years; and our work will transform the face of spaceflight. We are looking for people that bring excitement and energy to our organization, are curious and eager to learn, and want to help drive our programs forward. 

As aSatellite Electrical Engineer, you will focus on design, development, and integration of electronics for use in spaceborne and high-reliability environments. 

Responsibilities 

• Help to lead avionics architectural decisions and identify individual electronic components
• Support hardware bring-up, debugging, and validation in lab environments
• Support environmental payload testing, and write associated test cases
• Define connector and cable harnessing for space environments
• Support the design of digital and analog/mixed-signal electrical circuits
• Collaborate cross-functionally with mechanical, software, and systems teams to ensure cohesive hardware solutions, as well as with external stakeholders 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field
• 3-5 years of relevant experience in electrical design
• Familiarity with avionics systems design and testing strategies, particularly those compliant with NASA MIL standards
• Familiarity with signal integrity, power distribution, and EMI/EMC best practices, especially in a space environment
• Familiarity with designing robust grounding schemes (and strong understanding of grounding optimization tactics)
• Experience designing harness drawings
• Experience writing test procedures for both board and assembly level tests
• Strong debugging skills using lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers)
• Working knowledge of hardware development for harsh environments (radiation tolerance, thermal constraints)
• Familiarity with board-level electrical design, schematic capture, and layout tools (e.g., Altium Designer, KiCad, OrCAD)
• Eligible to hold a security clearance 

Preferred Qualification 

• 6-8 years of relevant experience in electrical design
• Familiarity with monitoring and reporting environmental testing for electronic assemblies (such as EMI/EMC, TVAC, etc)
• Strong proficiency with board-level electrical design, schematic capture, and layout tools (e.g., Altium Designer, KiCad, OrCAD)
• Proficiency with high speed and mixed signal simulation tools (such as Ansys, HyperLynx, etc)
• Experience designing optical, radio frequency (RF), and/or high power avionics
• Experience with VHDL or Verilog and FPGA development toolchains (e.g., Vivado, Quartus, Libero)
• Experience integrating FPGA systems with embedded processors, sensors, and high-speed interfaces (e.g., SPI, I2C, UART, LVDS, SpaceWire, Ethernet) 

Benefits

• Open Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
• 401k Matching
• Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, Dependent Care FSA
• Wellness Stipend
• Work From Home Stipend
• Life Insurance
• Long-term Disability plans
• Commuter Benefit
• Education Reimbursement

Don't fulfill all the qualifications listed above? If you still feel like you might be a good fit, please feel free to APPLY ANYWAY. We believe in a well-rounded team, and this sometimes means that someone with out-of-context knowledge can contribute just as well as someone with very explicit alignment with our capabilities needs stated.

Our positions are based in Reston, Virginia, with much of our team operating in a hybrid or remote fashion. Our preference is for candidates in or around this area (or willing to relocate) as we scale our facilities and engineering team to provide more opportunities to work and collaborate in-person.

This position involves access to technology that is subject to U.S. export controls. Any job offer made will be contingent upon the applicant's capacity to serve in compliance with U.S. export controls.

Scout Space Inc. does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. To conform to US Government space technology export regulations, applicants must be a US citizen, lawful permanent resident of the US, a protected individual as defined by 8 USC 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorization from the US Department of State.

We're Proud to Prioritize Mental Health. Scout Space has been recognized with the Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health by Mental Health America. This certification reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a supportive environment where mental well-being is valued, protected, and openly talked about. We know that when people feel seen and supported, great work happens, and that is the kind of culture we are building here at Scout Space.