{"id":1245270,"url":"https://alion.io/job/orbital-operations-avionics-mechanical-engineer","title":"Avionics Mechanical Engineer","company":{"id":3779334,"name":"Orbital Operations","domain":"orbitalops.tech","url":"https://alion.io/company/orbital-operations","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":null},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"middle","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Long Beach, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":79000,"max_usd":144000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":4013},"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"AutoCAD","optional":true},{"name":"MIL-STD-1553","optional":true},{"name":"OrCAD","optional":true},{"name":"Siemens NX","optional":true},{"name":"SpaceWire","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-17T19:50:18Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-18","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T09:04:14Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":67,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":67},"description":"About Orbital Operations\nAt Orbital Operations, we’re building the future of dynamic space maneuvering. Our mission is to enable rapid-response orbital capabilities, executing maneuvers without hesitation and without regret.\nOur flagship technology, the Cryogenic Propulsion Management System (CPMS), is redefining what’s possible in space mobility. Designed for military and commercial spacecraft, CPMS delivers sustained, high-thrust maneuverability in geosynchronous and cislunar orbits. It integrates low-loss cryogenic storage, reverse Brayton cycle (RBC) thermal control, and turbomachinery-driven propulsion to make spacecraft more agile, resilient, and responsive.\nBeyond defense, CPMS is poised to transform commercial orbital logistics. By powering next-generation orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), it can slash LEO-to-GEO transit times from six months to just eight hours-unlocking new possibilities for satellite servicing, deployment, and beyond.\nJoin us in building the infrastructure for a more maneuverable and mission-ready space domain.\nAbout the Role\nWe are looking for an Avionics Integration Engineer to own the electrical integration of our spacecraft from early architecture through vehicle build, system testing, launch-site operations, and flight.\nThis is a hands-on role at the intersection of avionics, propulsion, mechanical systems, flight software, manufacturing, and test. You will translate vehicle-level requirements into electrical interfaces, harness designs, channel assignments, configuration files, test procedures, and released hardware.\nYou will be responsible for ensuring that sensors, valves, actuators, controllers, power systems, communications hardware, and flight computers operate together as a complete system. You will also help build the standards, tools, laboratories, supplier base, and integration processes required to take Orbital Operations from its first vehicle into repeatable production.\nResponsibilities\nVehicle Avionics Integration\nOwn end-to-end electrical integration across the spacecraft, propulsion system, cryogenic systems, ground-support equipment, and test infrastructure.\nServe as the primary avionics interface to propulsion, fluids, structures, mechanisms, thermal, flight software, guidance, navigation and control, manufacturing, and test teams.\nGather and maintain vehicle-wide requirements for sensors, actuators, power loads, communications interfaces, instrumentation, and high-speed data acquisition.\nDevelop and maintain channel assignments, pin mappings, network architecture, power budgets, interface-control documentation, and electrical integration requirements.\nEnsure consistency between electrical schematics, harness drawings, flight-software configuration, telemetry definitions, and installed flight hardware.\nLead electrical interface definition and verification for valves, pressure and temperature sensors, ignition systems, pumps, motors, heaters, controllers, and other spacecraft hardware.\nIdentify integration risks early and drive technical issues to closure across multiple engineering disciplines.\nHarnessing and Electrical Design\nOwn electrical harnessing from system architecture through schematic development, routing, formboard creation, manufacturing, inspection, installation, and acceptance testing.\nDesign flight and test harnesses for power distribution, Ethernet, CAN, serial communications, discrete signals, analog instrumentation, and other spacecraft interfaces.\nSelect and qualify connectors, wire, cable, backshells, shielding, grounding, sleeving, strain relief, and environmental-protection solutions.\nPerform trade studies to optimize harness designs for reliability, signal integrity, electromagnetic compatibility, mass, manufacturability, maintainability, and cost.\nCollaborate with mechanical engineers to establish harness routing, mounting, bend-radius, separation, access, thermal, and service-loop requirements.\nDevelop and maintain electrical schematics, connection diagrams, harness drawings, bills of material, formboards, and installation documentation.\nCreate release, inspection, and configuration-control processes for schematics, harness drawings, formboards, and completed assemblies.\nIntegration and Test\nDevelop and execute avionics integration and verification campaigns at the component, subsystem, vehicle, and mission levels.\nCreate test plans, procedures, automated scripts, data-review tools, and pass/fail criteria for electrical and avionics testing.\nSupport hardware-in-the-loop testing, propulsion-system testing, cryogenic testing, vehicle checkout, launch-site operations, and mission readiness reviews.\nDevelop automated tools, primarily in Python, for commanding hardware, analyzing telemetry, validating channel mappings, and identifying anomalous system behavior.\nTroubleshoot electrical, communications, software, and instrumentation issues during vehicle manufacturing and test.\nReview test and flight data to verify performance, investigate anomalies, and recommend corrective actions.\nEstablish electrical checkouts and regression tests that identify workmanship, configuration, and interface issues before higher-level integration.\nOwn or support vehicle off-nominal alerts, limits, telemetry displays, and electrical launch-commit criteria.\nManufacturing and Supplier Development\nWork directly with technicians and manufacturing engineers to build, inspect, test, install, and troubleshoot flight harnesses and avionics assemblies.\nDevelop workmanship standards, build specifications, inspection criteria, and acceptance-test requirements for in-house and supplier-produced electrical hardware.\nIdentify, onboard, and manage suppliers for connectors, cable, harness assemblies, avionics components, and electrical test equipment.\nConduct make-versus-buy evaluations and generate estimates for component demand, lead time, nonrecurring costs, and production quantities.\nSupport procurement by developing technical requirements, reviewing quotations, approving substitutions, and resolving supplier nonconformances.\nDesign and build avionics laboratories, electrical ground-support equipment, breakout boxes, test racks, and vehicle checkout equipment.\nSupport failure investigations, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement of avionics manufacturing and integration processes.\nTeam and Process Development\nHelp establish the standards, tools, documentation, and technical-review processes for a growing avionics organization.\nParticipate in recruiting and interviewing avionics engineers, PCB designers, electromechanical engineers, manufacturing engineers, and harness technicians.\nCreate training materials and component libraries for electrical schematic, harness-design, and configuration-management tools.\nMentor engineers and technicians in electrical design, integration, troubleshooting, and test.\nCommunicate system status, technical risks, and resource requirements clearly to engineering and company leadership.\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related technical field.\n3+ years of professional experience with avionics, electrical systems, vehicle integration, harnessing, instrumentation, or complex electromechanical systems.\nExperience designing, building, integrating, or testing electrical harnesses and avionics hardware.\nExperience reading and creating electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, pinout documentation, and interface-control documents.\nWorking knowledge of electrical power distribution, grounding, shielding, signal integrity, and electromagnetic compatibility.\nExperience troubleshooting electrical hardware using oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, logic analyzers, network tools, and other laboratory equipment.\nExperience using scripting or programming tools, preferably Python, to automate testing or analyze engineering data.\nAbility to work directly with flight or test hardware in a fast-moving development environment.\nAbility to communicate effectively across electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, propulsion, and test teams.\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience developing avionics for spacecraft, launch vehicles, aircraft, autonomous vehicles, defense systems, robotics, or similarly complex systems.\nExperience owning vehicle-level avionics integration through manufacturing, qualification, launch, or flight operations.\nExperience with electrical CAD and harness-design software such as Capital, Zuken E3, Siemens NX, Altium, OrCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, or similar tools.\nExperience with Ethernet, CAN, RS-422/485, SPI, I²C, SpaceWire, MIL-STD-1553, discrete signals, analog sensors, and high-speed instrumentation.\nExperience with flight-software channel mapping, calibration databases, telemetry definitions, and hardware configuration files.\nExperience developing or operating hardware-in-the-loop systems, automated test equipment, data-acquisition systems, or electrical ground-support equipment.\nFamiliarity with spaceflight workmanship and electrical standards, including IPC/WHMA-A-620, NASA-STD-8739, or equivalent standards.\nExperience with environmental testing, including vibration, thermal-vacuum, electromagnetic compatibility, and qualification or acceptance testing.\nExperience with high-voltage ignition systems, motor controllers, electrically actuated valves, cryogenic instrumentation, or propulsion-system avionics.\nExperience qualifying and managing harness or electrical-component suppliers.\nExperience leading anomaly investigations and making vehicle-readiness recommendations based on test or flight data.\nDemonstrated ability to establish systems and processes where little existing infrastructure is available.","description_format":"text","description_chars":9791,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Launch Services","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-25T17:19:36Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":12,"band":"cold","label":"Long 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