Avionics Mechanical Engineer

The posting, as Orbital Operations wrote it

About Orbital Operations

At Orbital Operations, we’re building the future of dynamic space maneuvering. Our mission is to enable rapid-response orbital capabilities, executing maneuvers without hesitation and without regret.

Our flagship technology, the Cryogenic Propulsion Management System (CPMS), is redefining what’s possible in space mobility. Designed for military and commercial spacecraft, CPMS delivers sustained, high-thrust maneuverability in geosynchronous and cislunar orbits. It integrates low-loss cryogenic storage, reverse Brayton cycle (RBC) thermal control, and turbomachinery-driven propulsion to make spacecraft more agile, resilient, and responsive.

Beyond defense, CPMS is poised to transform commercial orbital logistics. By powering next-generation orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), it can slash LEO-to-GEO transit times from six months to just eight hours—unlocking new possibilities for satellite servicing, deployment, and beyond.

Join us in building the infrastructure for a more maneuverable and mission-ready space domain.

About the Role

We are looking for an Avionics Integration Engineer to own the electrical integration of our spacecraft from early architecture through vehicle build, system testing, launch-site operations, and flight.

This is a hands-on role at the intersection of avionics, propulsion, mechanical systems, flight software, manufacturing, and test. You will translate vehicle-level requirements into electrical interfaces, harness designs, channel assignments, configuration files, test procedures, and released hardware.

You will be responsible for ensuring that sensors, valves, actuators, controllers, power systems, communications hardware, and flight computers operate together as a complete system. You will also help build the standards, tools, laboratories, supplier base, and integration processes required to take Orbital Operations from its first vehicle into repeatable production.

Responsibilities

Vehicle Avionics Integration

• Own end-to-end electrical integration across the spacecraft, propulsion system, cryogenic systems, ground-support equipment, and test infrastructure.
• Serve as the primary avionics interface to propulsion, fluids, structures, mechanisms, thermal, flight software, guidance, navigation and control, manufacturing, and test teams.
• Gather and maintain vehicle-wide requirements for sensors, actuators, power loads, communications interfaces, instrumentation, and high-speed data acquisition.
• Develop and maintain channel assignments, pin mappings, network architecture, power budgets, interface-control documentation, and electrical integration requirements.
• Ensure consistency between electrical schematics, harness drawings, flight-software configuration, telemetry definitions, and installed flight hardware.
• Lead electrical interface definition and verification for valves, pressure and temperature sensors, ignition systems, pumps, motors, heaters, controllers, and other

[…]
pment.

• Experience using scripting or programming tools, preferably Python, to automate testing or analyze engineering data.
• Ability to work directly with flight or test hardware in a fast-moving development environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively across electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, propulsion, and test teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing avionics for spacecraft, launch vehicles, aircraft, autonomous vehicles, defense systems, robotics, or similarly complex systems.
• Experience owning vehicle-level avionics integration through manufacturing, qualification, launch, or flight operations.
• Experience with electrical CAD and harness-design software such as Capital, Zuken E3, Siemens NX, Altium, OrCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, or similar tools.
• Experience with Ethernet, CAN, RS-422/485, SPI, I²C, SpaceWire, MIL-STD-1553, discrete signals, analog sensors, and high-speed instrumentation.
• Experience with flight-software channel mapping, calibration databases, telemetry definitions, and hardware configuration files.
• Experience developing or operating hardware-in-the-loop systems, automated test equipment, data-acquisition systems, or electrical ground-support equipment.
• Familiarity with spaceflight workmanship and electrical standards, including IPC/WHMA-A-620, NASA-STD-8739, or equivalent standards.
• Experience with environmental testing, including vibration, thermal-vacuum, electromagnetic compatibility, and qualification or acceptance testing.
• Experience with high-voltage ignition systems, motor controllers, electrically actuated valves, cryogenic instrumentation, or propulsion-system avionics.
• Experience qualifying and managing harness or electrical-component suppliers.
• Experience leading anomaly investigations and making vehicle-readiness recommendations based on test or flight data.
• Demonstrated ability to establish systems and processes where little existing infrastructure is available.