Avionics Engineer (Early Career)

About the role

Today, everything we send to space is constrained by what fits inside a rocket fairing. That's a fundamental bottleneck to building more capable spacecraft. Rendezvous Robotics is solving this problem with electromagnetic self-assembling tiles: modular spacecraft components that rendezvous, dock, and latch to assemble bigger and more powerful spacecraft than anything that can be folded to fit into a rocket.

We're a small team based in Golden, Colorado, executing on a clear path from flight demonstration to our first operational systems. Our work spans hardware, software, and systems engineering. We are looking for the best people in the world who want to build the next generation of advanced spacecraft.

This is an early career role for electrical and computer engineers. If you're graduating in 2027, you'd start in summer 2027. If you're already working and have two years or less of relevant experience, you're just as welcome, and you could start sooner. We care about what you've built and how you approach a hard problem. You probably haven't worked on a spacecraft yet, and that's fine. We'll teach you how to design for space. We're looking for people who have built real things and who keep asking questions until they understand why something works.

Responsibilities & Ownership

• Getting up to speed on designing electronics for space (radiation, thermal vacuum, derating)
• Boards that fly: digital, power, and mixed-signal designs across the spacecraft, matched to where you're strongest and where the vehicle needs help
• Schematic capture and PCB layout, reviewed with senior engineers and carried through fabrication and assembly
• Bring-up on the bench: first power-on, finding what's broken, fixing it, and writing down what you learned
• Test fixtures, cable harnesses, and the scripts that exercise your hardware
• Day-to-day work with the firmware and software engineers who build on your boards
• Integration and environmental testing as hardware moves toward flight

Basic Qualifications

• BS or MS in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a closely related field, completed by summer 2027
• Two years or less of relevant professional experience (internships and co-ops don't count toward this)
• A solid grounding in circuits and in analog and digital electronics
• At least one PCB you designed yourself, from schematic to a working assembled board, whether for a class, a club, or a personal project
• Comfort on the bench with a scope, multimeter, and bench supply
• You can read a datasheet and pick out what matters for your design

Preferred Qualifications

• Leadership in an engineering student organization such as Formula SAE, a rocketry club, a CubeSat or satellite team, a robotics team, or Solar Car, especially if you owned a subsystem and saw it through to competition or flight
• An internship or co-op doing hardware design

KiCad or Altium

• Exposure to power electronics (regulators, battery systems, motor drivers) or high-speed digital interfaces (USB, Ethernet)
• Enough embedded C or Python to bring up and test your own boards

Compensation and Benefits

Engineer (Early Career): $80,000 - $110,000

Your actual base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. In addition to the base salary, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options. You will receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and paid parental leave. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.