SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 180,000 - 240,000 / annual
Astranis is seeking a Senior Ground Station Systems Engineer to support the design, development, deployment, and operation of satellite ground systems for commercial and U.S. Government programs. This role combines technical engineering with proposal and capture support, requiring an individual who can bridge customer requirements, system architecture, and implementation.
You will design, develop, and support satellite ground station architectures, including antennas, RF systems, modems, networking, monitoring and control systems, and associated infrastructure. Key responsibilities include performing link budget analysis and system performance assessments for GEO and MEO satellite systems, developing technical requirements and interface definitions, and collaborating with spacecraft, network operations, mission operations, and software teams to ensure end-to-end system performance.
You will serve as a technical contributor for commercial and USG proposals, RFPs, RFIs, and white papers, developing technical volumes, solution architectures, compliance matrices, and basis-of-estimate documentation. You will support customer technical interchange meetings, design reviews, demonstrations, and proposal presentations. Additionally, you will evaluate customer requirements and translate them into scalable, cost-effective ground segment solutions, assist with technical risk assessments, schedule development, and cost estimation activities, and work closely with business development and program management teams during capture and pursuit activities.
Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits and currently has five satellites on orbit with many more set to launch soon. The company services a backlog of more than $1 billion in commercial contracts and has raised over $750 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Blackrock, and Fidelity. Astranis employs 450 engineers and entrepreneurs and designs, builds, and operates satellites from its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in an applicable field in engineering
- 5+ years of experience in satellite communications, ground systems engineering, RF engineering, or related disciplines
- Strong understanding of RF communications fundamentals, including link budgets, antenna systems, amplifiers and RF chains, and modulation and coding techniques
- Experience with RF electronics and communication systems including RF front-end equipment, back-end equipment, and communication hardware
- Experience with antenna system design and operations including calibration, diagnostics, and monitoring
- Experience using RF test equipment (spectrum analyzer and signal generator) and troubleshooting RF components
- Experience supporting technical proposals, bids, captures, or customer solution development
- Ability to develop technical documentation and communicate complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Willing and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
- Strong project management skills and demonstrated high sense of urgency
- Willing to travel 20% of the time
- U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status required (to comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations)
BONUS QUALIFICATIONS:
- Background in Digital Signal Processing (DSP), including modem design, waveform development, channelization, beamforming, or digital communications systems
- Experience with FPGA-based signal processing platforms
- Familiarity with GNU Radio, MATLAB, Simulink, Python, or SDR-based development environments
- Knowledge of advanced SATCOM technologies including phased arrays, adaptive coding and modulation, and digital payload architectures
- Experience with commercial and government proposals
- Familiarity with antenna control units and tracking systems
- Familiarity with spectrum management
- Familiarity with networking (Ethernet, IP, TCP)
- Comfortable scripting, preferably in Python
