Senior Electrical Engineer for Lunar Surface Payload

Senior Electrical Engineer, Lunar Surface Systems

Space Lab Technologies, LLC, Boulder, CO

Salary Range: Full-Time, $130,000 - $180,000

Job Type: Full Time, Exempt

Space Lab is pioneering the future of human space exploration by ensuring the health, safety, and performance of astronauts living and working in extreme environments. We develop advanced solutions for sustainable space habitation, including life support, habitat accommodations, space agriculture, space biology instrumentation, and countermeasures for human health and performance. Join us in making long-duration deep space exploration and colonization a reality!

As Senior Electrical Engineer you will be part of a pioneering team working at the unique intersection of biology, medicine, and aerospace engineering. You will contribute to projects that directly impact astronaut well-being and mission success, through development of novel life-sustaining space technologies. This position specifically supports development of the Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora (LEAF) payload in development for Lunar surface deployment on an Artemis Lunar landing mission. The Senior Electrical Engineer is responsible for the design, development, and integration of electrical systems for a lunar surface payload currently in active development. This role is highly hands-on and involves working across avionics, power systems, sensors, and communications hardware for a spacecraft designed to operate in the lunar environment. This Senior Electrical Engineer position plays a decisive role in technical decisions that influence product development, owns critical subsystems, solves complex engineering challenges, contributes knowledge and insights to shape system function and architecture, ensures compliance with aerospace quality and safety standards, and supports rapid iteration in a startup environment. The role of senior engineer requires a balance of technical proficiency, leadership skills and innovative problem-solving capabilities.

Key Traits We’re Looking For

· Builder mindset: You enjoy designing, prototyping, and testing real hardware.

· Ownership: You can take a subsystem from concept to flight-ready hardware.

· Adaptability: Comfortable with changing requirements and rapid iteration.

· Mission-driven: Excited to help deliver hardware that will operate on the Moon.

Key Responsibilities

· Design and develop printed circuit boards (PCBs) and electrical subsystems capable of operating in extreme space environments (thermal cycling, radiation exposure, vacuum, and limited power availability), which may include:

o Power distribution and regulation,

o Sensor and instrument interfaces,

o Command and data handling interfaces,

o Wire harnesses, and

o Communication hardware integration

· Integrate electrical hardware with mechanical structures, thermal systems, flight software, and payload instruments.

· Develop and maintain electrical interface control documents (ICDs).

· Support system-level architecture decisions in collaboration with the payload engineering team.

· Rapidly prototype and test electrical hardware in a laboratory environment.

· Develop test procedures and perform flight hardware verification and validation, including functional testing and environmental testing.

· Troubleshoot and resolve issues during hardware bring-up and integration during prototype and flight hardware development.

· Support component derating, reliability analysis, and mission assurance.

· Work closely with multidisciplinary teams including mechanical, software, guidance/navigation, and mission operations.

· Participate in design reviews and milestone reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR).

· Contribute to supplier selection and evaluation of flight components.

Required Qualifications

· Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.

· 7 years of experience designing electrical systems for aerospace, robotics, spacecraft, or high-reliability hardware.

· Strong experience with PCB design and board-level electronics, power distribution, embedded hardware interfaces, and electrical system integration.

· Experience with electrical design tools (e.g., Altium, OrCAD, KiCad).

· Hands-on experience with hardware debugging, bring-up, and lab testing.

· Ability to work in a fast-moving startup environment with evolving requirements.

· Knowledge of radiation-tolerant components and space-grade electronics.

· Familiarity with NASA or commercial spaceflight standards.

· Experience supporting environmental qualification testing (thermal vacuum, vibration, EMI/EMC).

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Relocation assistance
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance