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Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy. The company is developing technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft's existing solar panels, enabling them to 'plug into' a grid rather than generating all their own power. This role is an opportunity to be an early member of a team building entirely new energy infrastructure at scale.
As an Electrical Engineer, you will support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network orbital power grid. Your responsibilities will include:
- Supporting electrical circuit and board design for power distribution, communications, and control under the guidance of experienced engineers
- Participating in the design and development of electrical circuits and systems, including schematic capture and PCB layout, following the full CCA design lifecycle (requirements generation, preliminary design, peer reviews, detailed design, test plan generation, and integration/test)
- Developing and rapidly prototyping electrical components and systems to verify performance and reliability, conducting experiments to validate performance
- Investigating prototype and integration issues using schematics, measurements, and test data; documenting root causes, proposing design corrections, and verifying changes
- Utilizing schematic software suites to generate circuit card designs, including schematic capture, constraint-driven layout, simulation, and timing analysis
- Supporting manufacturing and assembly of electrical components and working with suppliers and manufacturers to procure parts meeting design specifications and quality standards
- Engaging in R&D to innovate new technologies or improve existing systems to enhance mission capabilities
- Working closely with cross-functional teams to integrate electrical systems and components into spacecraft, satellites, and other systems
- Creating technical documentation, including schematics, specifications, and test plans, to support compliance and future reference
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field (required)
- Foundational understanding of circuit design, electrical schematics, and PCB layout principles (required)
- Willingness to learn space-specific design practices and standards on the job (required)
- Creative problem-solving skills with capability to develop innovative solutions to advanced engineering challenges (required)
- Exposure to high-reliability PCB design and fabrication requirements, such as IPC-6012 Class 3 and applicable space requirements (desired; prior flight-board design experience not required)
- Experience with Altium Designer (desired)
- Coursework, internship, personal-project, or professional exposure to batteries, microprocessors, FPGAs, solar arrays, or power distribution/conversion (desired; prior spaceflight-program experience not required)
- Foundational electrical analysis skills demonstrated through coursework, projects, internships, or professional experience (desired)
- Hardware debugging skills with experience operating signal generators, logic analyzers, and digital oscilloscopes (desired)
- Exposure to high-speed memory and network interfaces and protocols (desired)
- Knowledge of digital design techniques and devices (desired)
- Interest in learning spacecraft design, verification, and applicable electrical safety practices (desired)
- Effective communication skills with ability to work across disciplines, communicate status and technical issues clearly, and prioritize assigned tasks in a fast-paced environment (desired)
Note: ITAR compliance required—must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
