{"id":2645935,"url":"https://alion.io/job/cowboy-space-navigation-sensor-hardware-engineer","title":"Navigation Sensor Hardware Engineer","company":{"id":8929,"name":"Cowboy Space","domain":"cowboyspace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/cowboyspace","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"C","score":68,"open_postings":10,"ghost_share":0.2,"stale_share":0.7,"repost_share":0.2,"time_to_fill_p50_days":35,"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Kent, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":170000,"max":202000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":202000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"TPU","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-15T18:37:52Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-15","last_verified_at":"2026-10-17T08:21:35Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"About Cowboy Space Corp:\nMission \nCowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.\nBackground \nCowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport.\nCurrent energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.\nBaiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.\nThis is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.\nAbout the role\nWe are looking for a navigation sensor hardware lead to own the sensor suite used across our launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will select, characterize, calibrate, qualify, and integrate inertial sensors and GNSS hardware, identifying opportunities to share components where they meet each vehicle's requirements.\nThis is a hands-on technical leadership role focused on delivering reliable sensor hardware and well-characterized performance to the vehicle and guidance, navigation, and control teams. You will work with suppliers and engineering partners from initial selection through qualification, production acceptance, and vehicle integration.\nResponsibilities\nDefine navigation sensor hardware requirements with vehicle and guidance, navigation, and control engineers, and select the sensor suite for each application.\n\nEvaluate supplier accelerometers, gyroscopes, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and GNSS receivers against performance, environmental, interface, cost, and availability requirements.\n\nIdentify shared components and interfaces across launch vehicles and spacecraft, documenting where different operating environments require different hardware or qualification approaches.\n\nOwn electrical and mechanical integration of the sensor suite with avionics and vehicle teams. Coordinate GNSS antenna, RF compatibility, and interference requirements with the RF systems engineer.\n\nDevelop characterization and calibration methods for inertial sensors, quantify error sources and environmental sensitivities, and provide calibration data and performance models to the navigation software team.\n\nPlan and lead component and assembly acceptance and qualification testing, including thermal cycling, thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, EMI/EMC, and radiation testing as applicable; document results and close verification requirements.\n\nLead sensor hardware failure analysis, work with suppliers to resolve defects and performance issues, and implement hardware or calibration-software improvements.\n\nEstablish repeatable calibration and acceptance processes with manufacturing and test teams, track hardware readiness for vehicle integration, and coordinate applicable regulatory or certification evidence.\n\nMinimum qualifications\nBachelor's degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.\n\n8+ years of related experience in navigation sensor hardware or avionics assembly design and integration, including responsibility for hardware performance and verification.\n\nUnderstanding of IMU error sources, environmental sensitivities, calibration methods, and mitigation techniques.\n\nExperience integrating accelerometers, gyroscopes, or IMUs into flight or other high-reliability systems, including their electrical interfaces and mechanical mounting.\n\nHands-on experience developing test setups, analyzing sensor data, and characterizing or qualifying hardware against defined requirements.\n\nUnderstanding of design for manufacturing and the ability to work independently, document technical decisions, and coordinate delivery with suppliers and engineering teams.\n\nExperience with Analog to Digital Converters and Digital to Analog Converters and Data Acquisition systems.\n\nExperience with a variety of sensors such as proximity, pressure, temperature, strain gages, as well as with encoder selection.\n\nPreferred experience\nMaster's degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.\n\nExperience integrating GNSS receivers and working with navigation software or guidance, navigation, and control teams.\n\nExperience qualifying sensor hardware for both launch-vehicle and spacecraft environments, or reusing components across platforms.\n\nExperience developing custom inertial sensor assemblies, including navigation-grade IMU triads, or supporting accelerometer and gyroscope development.\n\nExperience improving calibration, acceptance-test coverage, manufacturing yield, or production throughput for sensor hardware.\n\nCompensation and Benefits\nThe salary range for this position is$170,000 - $202,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.\nEquity in Cowboy Space Corp.\n\nEmployees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance\n\n401(k) retirement savings plan\n\nPaid time off\n\n10 paid holidays per calendar year\n\nPaid parental leave\n\nRelocation assistance if applicable\n\nDaily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks\n\nITAR Requirements\nExport Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.\n\nDisclaimer\nThis job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.\nCowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.","description_format":"text","description_chars":8251,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Parental leave","Relocation assistance","Retirement plans","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Satellite Navigation","Satellite Manufacturing","Space Services","AI Compute & Inference"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-15T20:08:46Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":63,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.632,"p_room":1,"age_days":1,"expected_fill_days":35,"reasons":["conf:0","stale_co","velocity","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":202000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/cowboy-space-navigation-sensor-hardware-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/cowboy-space-navigation-sensor-hardware-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-17T08:45:07Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":11695,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-18T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":8929},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=8929"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fcowboy-space-navigation-sensor-hardware-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fcowboy-space-navigation-sensor-hardware-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fcowboy-space-navigation-sensor-hardware-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/cowboy-space-navigation-sensor-hardware-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fcowboy-space-navigation-sensor-hardware-engineer"}]}