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Salary: USD 170,000 - 250,000 / annual
K2 Space is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, backed by over $1 billion in funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price. With over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, K2 is mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space. The company plans multiple launches in 2027 and aims to scale to 100 satellites per year.
You will join as a hands-on Senior Mixed-Signal Post-Silicon Validation Engineer responsible for bringing up and characterizing complex mixed-signal SoCs from first silicon through product integration. You will work closely with analog/mixed-signal designers, systems/DSP, firmware, FPGA, digital, and hardware teams to validate silicon performance, debug issues, and build validation capability from the ground up.
Key responsibilities include:
- Bring up and characterize mixed-signal silicon, including ADCs, DACs, PLLs, clocking, references, power, and analog signal paths
- Develop and execute comprehensive characterization plans across frequency, voltage, temperature, process, and operating modes
- Measure key converter and analog performance metrics including SNDR, SFDR, ENOB, INL/DNL, noise, bandwidth, jitter, phase noise, linearity, and power
- Develop automated test setups for characterization, regression, data collection, analysis, and reporting
- Work closely with analog/mixed-signal designers to correlate silicon measurements with simulations and identify performance gaps
- Partner with systems/DSP teams to validate DSP and calibration algorithms on silicon
- Debug complex issues spanning silicon, firmware, package, PCB, test setup, and system behavior
- Support transition from chip-level validation to product integration and system-level testing
- Contribute to building the validation lab, test infrastructure, measurement methodology, and automation from the ground up
- Document characterization results, silicon limitations, workarounds, and lessons learned for future silicon generations
This is an opportunity to build critical test infrastructure for next-generation satellite platforms in a fast-moving, well-funded environment.
REQUIREMENTS:
- BS/MS in Electrical Engineering or related field
- 5+ years of mixed-signal silicon validation, characterization, product engineering, or related experience
- Strong understanding of ADC, DAC, PLL, clocking, and analog circuit fundamentals
- Deep hands-on experience with lab test equipment such as high-speed oscilloscopes, spectrum/signal analyzers, vector signal generators, phase-noise analyzers, network analyzers, power supplies, and related mixed-signal instrumentation
- Experience developing automated characterization environments using Python or similar scripting languages and instrument-control interfaces
- Strong understanding of signal integrity, noise, clock jitter, spectral analysis, and mixed-signal measurement techniques
- Strong debugging skills and ability to isolate issues across chip, package, PCB, firmware, and test environments
- Experience working closely with IC designers and systems engineers to correlate measurements with simulations and models
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving environment and build test capability from the ground up
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- RF/mmWave mixed-signal SoC experience
- Experience with high-speed or RF-sampling ADCs and DACs
- Experience validating digitally assisted analog circuits and calibration algorithms
- Familiarity with JESD204 or other high-speed converter interfaces
- Experience with automated PVT characterization and large-scale measurement data analysis
- Familiarity with FPGA-based test platforms and embedded firmware
- SI/PI, package, high-speed PCB, and RF measurement experience
NOTE: U.S. Person status or export control license eligibility required due to ITAR compliance.
