SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
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 total 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 own silicon bring-up, characterization, and system-level validation of complex mixed-signal SoCs, enabling a smooth transition from validated silicon into product integration. You will define the validation strategy, build the test and validation capability from the ground up, and lead execution from first silicon through product readiness.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own post-silicon validation strategy, test planning, execution, coverage, and sign-off
- Lead first silicon bring-up across power, clocks, debug interfaces, processor/memory subsystems, peripherals, and high-speed interfaces
- Define and execute validation strategy and readiness criteria to enable product integration
- Own system-level test planning and execution, including functional, performance, stress, and corner-case testing
- Build the test and validation lab from the ground up, including equipment, infrastructure, test setups, and automated characterization and regression environments
- Partner with RF/analog and mixed-signal designers on characterization of RF chains, PLLs, ADCs/DACs, clocking, and power
- Work closely with systems/DSP teams to validate DSP and calibration algorithms on silicon
- Partner with FPGA, firmware, RTL/DV, hardware, and systems teams to accelerate silicon bring-up
- Drive cross-functional debug across silicon, firmware, RTL, package, board, and system boundaries
- Build reusable automation for instrumentation control, data collection, analysis, regression, and reporting
- Drive silicon issues from discovery through root cause, workaround, and resolution
Requirements:
- BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience
- 5+ years of post-silicon validation, SoC bring-up, silicon characterization, or related experience
- Hands-on experience bringing up complex mixed-signal SoCs/ASICs and transitioning silicon into product/system integration
- Hands-on experience with lab test and measurement equipment, including oscilloscopes, spectrum/signal analyzers, vector signal generators, network analyzers, logic analyzers, power supplies, and related RF/mixed-signal instrumentation
- Strong understanding of SoC architecture and working knowledge of RF/analog and mixed-signal circuits
- Strong hardware/software debug skills spanning silicon, RTL, firmware, board, and systems
- Experience building silicon validation labs, test infrastructure, and automated measurement environments
- Experience validating DSP, calibration, or signal-processing functionality in silicon
- Strong Python/scripting skills for lab automation, instrumentation, and data analysis
- Experience with embedded C/C++, JTAG, SPI, UART, and register-level debug
- Ability to lead cross-functional bring-up while remaining deeply hands-on in the lab
Preferred qualifications include RF SoC and RF/analog characterization experience, ADC/DAC, PLL, RF transceiver, or high-speed SerDes/JESD validation experience, and FPGA prototyping and RISC-V/ARM SoC experience.
Note: This role requires U.S. Person status as defined by ITAR regulations (U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or certain protected individuals), or eligibility for a federally issued export control license.
