Senior Spacecraft Engineer
First seen by Alion on Aug 4, 2026. Darwin Recruitment scores B on the Alion truth index.
Senior Spacecraft Command and Data Handling (C&DH) Engineer
Los Angeles, CA | Level 4: $146,200 to $215,000 | Level 5: $176,800 to $260,000
You have architected enough avionics to know when a design is wrong. This role lets you say so and be listened to.
This is a technical authority position on the C&DH and electrical hardware architectures behind small satellites built for national security missions. Missile warning. Earth observation. Work that gets watched at government level.
We are hiring for a small satellite company that moves at startup pace but sits inside one of the world’s largest aerospace and defence groups. That combination is the point. You get the autonomy and the speed of a small team, with the programme volume and the funding stability that comes from the parent business.
They are hiring at two levels. Level 4 is technical leadership on specific programmes, acting as the subject matter expert on C&DH, running the trade studies and holding technical oversight through integration and test. Level 5 is broader, setting technical strategy across the whole C&DH group, establishing engineering practice, defining roadmaps and building the next generation of engineers.
What you will own
- Architect C&DH subsystems that shape system level design decisions and meet mission, constraint and fault management requirements
- Lead avionics architecture selection and trade analysis, balancing performance, power, mass and cost
- Drive requirements definition, interface control documents and verification activities
- Direct high fidelity analysis across data budgets, signal integrity, clock drift, jitter and EMI/EMC compatibility
- Own vendor selection and make or buy recommendations, weighing technical risk, schedule, cost and lifecycle support
- Lead resolution of complex avionics and electrical hardware issues through design, integration and test
- Contribute to fault detection, isolation and recovery strategy so architectures stay resilient, and support mission operations and system health assessment
- Mentor engineers at earlier career stages and grow the group’s capability
What you will need
- A bachelor’s degree in electrical, computer or aerospace engineering or a related discipline, plus 9 or more years of relevant experience, or an equivalent mix of technical education and experience
- 9 or more years with spacecraft communication protocols such as SpaceWire, Ethernet, RS422, RS485 and LVDS
- 7 or more years designing, analysing and integrating spacecraft electrical hardware or complex avionics systems
- The ability to obtain a US Security Clearance, which requires US citizenship
- Comfort working with a high degree of autonomy, and the ability to explain technical concepts clearly to technical and non technical audiences
What lifts an application
- For Level 5, 14 or more years of relevant experience or an equivalent mix of education and experience
- Time as a Responsible Engineering Authority or lead engineer on complex space programmes
- Familiarity with industry standards and government cybersecurity practice for space assets
- Experience in high rate manufacturing environments
- A master’s or PhD in a relevant engineering discipline
- Strong communication and presentation skills
The practical detail
This role is export controlled and clearance bearing, so applicants must be US citizens and eligible for a security clearance, and must be willing to apply for and maintain one. There is no visa sponsorship and no relocation assistance on this position. Successful candidates go through a conflict of interest assessment, and the company operates a drug free workplace with post offer testing.
Pay is set on experience, qualifications and market. The ranges above are base salary and sit alongside variable compensation and a range of benefit programmes, with eligibility depending on factors such as location and hire date.
Apply
Send your resume through this advert and we will come back with the full company details and process. Darwin Space is a specialist space industry recruitment firm. All applications are treated in confidence.
Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
Adam Slade