Avionics Test Engineer

About the role

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable a new class of capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute, to transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit compute to delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. By rethinking how energy and data are generated and distributed in space, we’re unlocking entirely new ways to operate both in orbit and on Earth.

Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), Cowboy Space Corp. is backed by leading investors and built by a team from top aerospace and defense organizations. We’re moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges and build a new category of space infrastructure.

About the Role:

The Avionics Team is looking for an Avionics Test Engineer to lead the validation, integration, and qualification of spacecraft electronics at the board and system level. In this role, you will own the development of test systems and methodologies used to verify avionics hardware throughout the product lifecycle. You will work closely with electrical design, PCB layout, firmware, and manufacturing teams to ensure our boards meet performance, reliability, and mission requirements before deployment to space.

Responsibilities:

- Develop and execute board-level test plans for avionics, power electronics, communications hardware, and compute systems

- Design and build automated test equipment (ATE), hardware-in-the-loop (HITL), and custom test fixtures

- Perform bring-up, validation, and troubleshooting of complex PCB assemblies

- Develop test software, scripts, and automation frameworks to improve test coverage and manufacturing throughput

- Characterize electrical performance including power integrity, signal integrity, timing, and functional behavior

- Support root cause investigations, failure analysis, and corrective actions for hardware issues

- Collaborate with electrical and firmware engineers to debug hardware and system-level problems

- Support environmental qualification testing including thermal vacuum, EMI/EMC, and thermal cycling

- Analyze test results and generate detailed reports to support design reviews and flight readiness assessments

- Drive improvements in test infrastructure, manufacturing screening, and board-level reliability processes

Basic Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or related field

- 1-5+ years of experience testing and validating complex electronic hardware

- Experience with board bring-up, debugging, and failure analysis of PCB assemblies

- Experience using laboratory equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, power supplies, and electronic loads

- Experience developing automated test systems using Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, or similar tools

- Strong understanding of digital electronics, analog circuits, power systems, and embedded hardware

Preferred Qualifications:

- Experience testing aerospace, satellite, defense, or other high-reliability electronic systems

- Experience with HITL testing, manufacturing test systems, and automated validation frameworks

- Familiarity with common digital interfaces such as Ethernet, PCIe, DDR, SPI, I2C, UART, and CAN

- Experience supporting FPGA, embedded, and mixed-signal hardware platforms

- Experience with environmental qualification testing including thermal vacuum, EMI/EMC, and thermal cycling

- Familiarity with IPC standards and electronics manufacturing processes

- Experience working in fast-paced startup environments

- Familiarity with radiation test campaigns for electronics

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $110,000 - $150,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

- Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

- Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance

- 401(k) retirement savings plan

- Paid time off

- 10 paid holidays per calendar year

- Paid parental leave

- Relocation assistance if applicable

- Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

Export 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.

Disclaimer

This 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.

Cowboy 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.