A US space company building electric propulsion systems and small satellites. Their hardware covers propulsion modules, spacecraft and launch vehicle upper stages, and they’re currently delivering against multiple funded propulsion and satellite contracts. Small enough that you’ll own your analysis end to end, established enough that the work is flying.
The role
You’ll own the dynamic environments side of their hardware, from individual components up to full spacecraft. That means shock, random vibration and acoustic analysis, predicting and interpreting measured data, and signing hardware off as flight-ready before it goes to the customer.
Day to day:
Run dynamic environments and structural analysis across propulsion units, flow control systems and power electronics
Support random vibration and shock test campaigns, then correlate the data back to your models
Interpret customer requirements, present your results in design reviews, and write the analysis reports that go out with the hardware
Support the sign-off of flight hardware for delivery
Work across several programmes at once and improve the analysis process as you go
What they’re looking for
Bachelor’s or above in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
5+ years in industry
Strong dynamic environments and structural analysis background
Hands-on experience with dynamic testing (random vibration, shock)
Solid grounding in vibroacoustics, structural mechanics and dynamics
Comfortable explaining your analysis to a customer, not just running it
Nice to have
NASTRAN / FEMAP
MATLAB or Python
Previous space or satellite hardware experience
Eligibility
This role sits under US export control (ITAR). You’ll need to be a US citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise able to obtain State Department authorisation.
Spacecraft Manufacturing | Electric Propulsion | Satellites | High-Performance Space Systems
We're partnering with an innovative space technology company developing next-generation spacecraft, advanced propulsion systems, and satellite platforms for commercial and government missions.
As the business continues to scale, they're looking for a Senior Mechanical Manufacturing Engineer to take ownership of manufacturing readiness across multiple cutting-edge programmes. This is a highly visible role where you'll work across engineering, production, quality, and supply chain to take complex space hardware from design through manufacturing, integration, testing, and final delivery.
What you'll be doing
Own manufacturing readiness for mechanical components and assemblies across multiple programmes.
Drive manufacturing process improvements, standardisation, production scalability, and cycle time reduction.
Work closely with production teams to resolve manufacturing, quality, and yield challenges.
Support assembly, integration and test (AI&T) activities for spacecraft hardware and propulsion systems.
Lead manufacturing input during design reviews to ensure products are designed for manufacturability.
Investigate non-conformances, perform root cause analysis, and support MRB activities.
Develop manufacturing plans, work instructions, SOPs, travellers, and production documentation.
Design and implement tooling, fixtures, and assembly aids.
Work alongside technicians during builds, providing technical guidance and mentoring.
Manage manufacturing orders, inventory flow, inspections, and material availability.
Collaborate with procurement to maintain production schedules.
Support major programme milestones including CDR, MRR and TRR reviews.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering Technology (preferred).
Around 5-10 years of mechanical manufacturing engineering experience.
Experience supporting complex electromechanical or aerospace hardware through production.
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, production documentation, and continuous improvement.
Experience with non-conformance investigations and root cause analysis.
Ability to work across multidisciplinary engineering and production teams.
Strong communication and organisational skills.
Eligibility to work in the United States.
Nice to have
Spacecraft manufacturing, integration or test experience.
Hall thrusters, propulsion systems, satellites, launch vehicles, or other aerospace hardware.
Experience developing manufacturing processes from prototype through production.
Programming or automation experience.
Experience supporting high-rate or low-volume/high-complexity manufacturing environments.
Why apply?
This is an opportunity to join a rapidly growing space company where you'll influence the full manufacturing lifecycle of advanced spacecraft and propulsion technology. You'll work on cutting-edge programmes, collaborate with highly experienced engineers, and play a key role in delivering hardware that's heading to space.
A fast-moving, well-funded physics and AI research company is tackling one of the hardest engineering problems in space: making data-center-class hardware work in orbit. They've built a powerful AI-driven physics reasoning engine — and now need senior aerospace judgment to keep it pointed at the right problems.
This is not a build role. It's an advisory seat: reviewing simulation output, stress-testing assumptions, and telling a brilliant but space-inexperienced team what's flight-real and what isn't.
What you'll do:
Review proof-of-concept and simulation results and call flight feasibility, fast
Advise across the hardest orbital data center problems: thermal control, cooling, radiation effects, and power
Help prioritize a research portfolio for maximum technical return
Flag dead ends before they cost time and capital
Act as validator and red-teamer for an AI-led engineering team
What you bring:
Senior aerospace engineer with hardware that has actually flown
Deep expertise in thermal/cooling, radiation hardening, power, or systems integration
Ideally a hybrid “technologist” profile — comfortable across both hardware and software
A systems-level generalist mindset, not a narrow specialist
Sharp, decisive judgment and comfort working alongside AI-assisted tools
If you've got flight heritage and want to shape how the next generation of computing infrastructure gets built in orbit, this is a rare seat at the table.
Program Manager, Space Systems — 12-Month Contract, Space Systems
CA (Hybrid) | 12-Month Contract |
A pioneer in software-defined LiDAR is taking its flight-proven sensor platform from the road to space, migrating a mature, commercially deployed system into a radiation-tolerant, vacuum-rated sensor for a surface-navigation mission on an aggressive 12-month ATP-to-flight timeline.
We're looking for a Program Manager who's done this before: someone who has taken a space program from requirements through on-orbit success, and who wants to own the next one end-to-end.
What you'll own:
Full program execution, including WBS, SOW, SDRLs, and milestone reviews (SRR/PDR/CDR), through flight-unit delivery
The day-to-day technical relationship with a prime contractor, including joint reviews and change control
Sourcing and managing a network of specialist suppliers such as radiation-hardened parts, vacuum/thermal test houses, and space-grade optics, with no international travel required
The Lidar product-to-space migration, managing a parts-swap strategy across power, clocking, and radiation-tolerant electronics
Risk retirement against real environmental constraints, including radiation, thermal, and vacuum, through a structured risk matrix and ECR process
What you bring:
8+ years in space systems or defense electronics program or technical leadership
A flown space program on your résumé, such as a satellite, deep-space instrument, or launch vehicle, taken from requirements to operational success
Experience as the primary prime- or customer-facing PM lead, running milestone reviews and change control
Fluency in space qualification standards (MIL-STD-810, radiation mitigation) and NASA-style program gates (NPR 7120.5/7150.2)
US Person status (citizen or permanent resident), required for ITAR/EAR compliance
If you've flown hardware before and want to do it again on a lean, fast-moving team building something genuinely new, we should talk.
Firmware Engineer Location: Irvine, CA (Potential consideration for the Washington, DC area) Employment Type: Full-Time Work Arrangement: Onsite Salary Range:$160,000 – $180,000 USD About the Role An innovative space technology company is seeking an experienced Firmware Engineer to join its Space Systems Engineering team. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and verifying FPGA firmware for advanced radar and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload electronics supporting next-generation Earth observation satellites. Working closely with RF, Systems, Embedded Software, and Assembly, Integration & Test (AI&T) teams, you will play a key role in developing flight-quality firmware for high-performance space hardware. This is an excellent opportunity for an engineer who enjoys solving complex digital design challenges while contributing to cutting-edge aerospace technology. Key Responsibilities
Design, implement, and verify FPGA firmware supporting radar signal generation, digital beamforming, and SAR data processing pipelines.
Develop and maintain RTL designs using VHDL and/or Verilog targeting Xilinx RFSoC and UltraScale+ FPGA platforms.
Architect modular and reusable FPGA frameworks that support multiple product configurations while reducing future development effort.
Integrate FPGA firmware with embedded software running on Linux and bare-metal ARM-based System-on-Chip (SoC) platforms.
Define and implement high-speed digital interfaces between FPGA fabric and RF/analog front-end hardware.
Perform timing closure, resource optimization, and power analysis for flight-grade FPGA designs.
Develop and execute FPGA verification strategies including simulation, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, flat-sat integration, and EGSE test environments.
Collaborate with RF and Systems Engineering teams to translate radar waveform and digital signal processing requirements into FPGA implementations.
Support Assembly, Integration & Test (AI&T) activities by providing firmware builds, diagnostic capabilities, and debugging support throughout payload integration and qualification.
Create and maintain configuration-controlled firmware baselines, release documentation, and design artifacts supporting engineering review milestones including PDR, CDR, and TRR.
Participate in design reviews, architecture trade studies, and technical risk assessments related to FPGA and digital subsystem development.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline (Master's degree preferred).
5–8 years of professional experience designing FPGA firmware using VHDL and/or Verilog.
3+ years of experience with Xilinx (AMD) FPGA development tools including Vivado, Vitis, and Vivado HLS.
3–5 years of experience implementing digital signal processing algorithms in FPGA hardware, including filtering, FFTs, digital down-conversion, and waveform generation.
3–5 years of hands-on experience developing firmware for System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures, including PS-PL integration on Zynq or Zynq UltraScale+ platforms.
Working knowledge of high-speed serial interfaces and industry-standard communication bus protocols.
Strong analytical and debugging skills with the ability to optimize firmware performance, timing, and resource utilization.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience developing firmware for Xilinx RFSoC devices such as ZU27DR, ZU47DR, or similar platforms with direct RF ADC/DAC integration.
Background in radar or Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) signal processing, including pulse compression, range/Doppler processing, or beamforming algorithms.
Familiarity with radar waveform design and RF system concepts such as dynamic range, noise figure, and spurious performance.
Experience developing aerospace, defense, or space-qualified electronic hardware.
Exposure to formal FPGA verification methodologies including UVM, constrained-random testing, and code coverage analysis.
Experience developing embedded Linux and bare-metal firmware for ARM Cortex-A/R processors.
Familiarity with version control systems and FPGA configuration management using Git and CI/CD workflows.
Knowledge of environmental qualification, radiation effects, thermal derating, FMEA, and reliability considerations for FPGA-based designs.
Experience supporting hardware integration and laboratory testing using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and other electronic test equipment.
Why Join?
Develop flight-quality FPGA firmware for next-generation radar satellite payloads.
Work alongside highly skilled RF, Systems, Embedded Software, and AI&T engineers on cutting-edge space technology.
Contribute directly to advanced Earth observation missions supporting commercial and government customers.
System Engineer Location: Irvine, CA Employment Type: Full-Time Work Arrangement: Onsite Salary Range:$145,000 – $175,000 USD About the Role An innovative space technology company is seeking an experienced System Engineer to lead the systems engineering lifecycle for next-generation spaceborne radar payloads. This is a highly technical, hands-on role responsible for defining system architecture, managing requirements, driving verification activities, and ensuring payloads meet mission objectives from concept through flight readiness. Working closely with RF, digital, mechanical, software, and program teams, you will play a key role in translating mission needs into robust, flight-ready space systems while balancing performance, reliability, manufacturability, and schedule. Key Responsibilities
Define and maintain the overall payload system architecture, including avionics and subsystem interfaces.
Decompose mission and system-level requirements into subsystem and interface specifications while maintaining complete requirements traceability through verification.
Lead Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and reliability assessments to identify potential single-point failures and develop mitigation strategies.
Design fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) strategies, safe modes, and anomaly response concepts aligned with mission operations.
Establish, monitor, and maintain system-level technical budgets including mass, power, thermal, data rate, and communications link budgets.
Own the verification and validation (V&V) strategy by mapping requirements to appropriate verification methods including testing, analysis, inspection, and demonstration.
Develop mission concepts of operations (ConOps), including orbit operations, imaging modes, duty cycles, and ground segment interfaces.
Define, maintain, and control Interface Control Documents (ICDs) between payload subsystems and spacecraft interfaces.
Collaborate with software engineering teams on embedded flight software architecture, command and telemetry definitions, and operational mode transitions.
Partner with product and engineering teams to translate product roadmaps into system-level technical requirements and architecture decisions.
Support formal engineering reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, MRR, and FRR by preparing and presenting technical documentation.
Perform system trade studies and budget analyses to support design decisions, cost optimization, manufacturability, and mission performance.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
7+ years of systems engineering experience supporting space systems, radar systems, avionics, or similar complex aerospace programs.
Minimum 2 years of experience serving as a System Architect or technical lead on complex engineering programs.
5+ years of experience leading requirements decomposition, requirements management, and verification closure throughout the product lifecycle.
5+ years of experience performing FMEA and reliability analyses for flight hardware or high-reliability systems.
5+ years of experience developing and tracking system-level budgets including mass, power, thermal, and communications link budgets.
Working knowledge of radar or RF systems.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical decision-making skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Software Engineer (Payload Software) Location: Irvine, CA Job Type: Full-Time Work Schedule: Onsite Salary: $155,000 – $175,000 USD, depending on experience.
About the Opportunity Join an innovative space technology company developing advanced remote sensing systems and next-generation satellite payloads. This organization designs, builds, and operates cutting-edge space systems that deliver mission-critical intelligence and Earth observation capabilities for government and commercial customers. We are seeking an experienced Software Engineer to design, develop, and integrate payload software for advanced spacecraft systems. In this role, you will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop embedded software that supports the complete payload lifecycle—from architecture and implementation through integration, testing, and deployment. This is an excellent opportunity for an engineer who enjoys solving complex technical challenges while working on mission-critical space hardware and software.
Key Responsibilities
Design, develop, and integrate payload software for spacecraft systems.
Participate in the complete software development lifecycle, including requirements definition, architecture, implementation, integration, verification, and testing.
Collaborate with systems, hardware, electrical, RF, and integration teams to ensure successful software and hardware interoperability.
Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and software documentation.
Support software integration, debugging, and validation during spacecraft assembly and test activities.
Troubleshoot embedded software and hardware interface issues throughout development and integration.
Contribute to software architecture decisions and continuous improvement of development processes.
Required Qualifications
6+ years of professional experience developing software using C, C++, and Python.
6+ years of embedded software development experience.
6+ years of experience working with System-on-Chip (SoC) and microcontroller-based designs.
Strong experience developing software in Embedded Linux environments, including Yocto build systems.
Experience developing and maintaining Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
Experience implementing communication and data protocols.
Experience supporting the complete software lifecycle from requirements development through verification and testing.
Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) systems.
Familiarity with FPGA firmware development.
Understanding of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems.
Experience supporting avionics integration and system-level testing.
Knowledge of avionics hardware architectures.
Experience with spacecraft or embedded system architecture.
Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics.
Why Join Us?
Develop software that directly supports next-generation spacecraft and remote sensing technologies.
Work alongside experienced multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Contribute throughout the full product lifecycle—from software architecture to spacecraft integration.
Solve challenging technical problems while building highly reliable embedded systems for space applications.
Be part of a collaborative engineering environment focused on innovation, quality, and mission success.
Compensation & Benefits
Comprehensive health benefits.
Flexible paid time off.
Collaborative engineering culture with opportunities for professional growth.
Security & Export Requirements This position may require access to export-controlled technology and the ability to meet applicable U.S. government security and compliance requirements. Candidates must be eligible to work in accordance with U.S. export control regulations.
Contract Parts, Materials & Process (PMP) Engineer Location: Fully Remote (US) Type: Contract — 12 months Rate: Dependent on experience
EVONA is partnering with a US space systems company to secure a contract Parts, Materials & Process (PMP) Engineer.
You’ll support their senior M&P engineer in producing the parts, materials and processes assurance documentation the US government requires on program deliverables (MTA/PMAP). Let’s be straight: this is a compliance and documentation role, not R&D. The whole point is finding someone who’s lived in this environment before, knows what the customer expects, and can produce clean, compliant documentation without the endless back-and-forth.
What You’ll Be Working On
Authoring and maintaining PMP/PMAP program assurance documentation to MTA requirements
Producing compliance deliverables — parts control plans, materials and process plans, part and material approval requests, CDRL/SDRL submittals
Supporting parts, materials and process selection, qualification and approval, including EEE parts control
Reviewing drawings and specifications for correct materials and process callouts
Maintaining parts and materials lists, control plans and assurance records
Supporting DPA, radiation/RHA, derating and non-conformance reviews
Interfacing with the senior M&P engineer, program and quality teams, and the government customer
What You’ll Bring
Hands-on experience producing parts/materials/processes assurance documentation for US government defence or space programs — MTA/PMAP-type deliverables ideally
Background in PMP, M&P, EEE parts, component or reliability engineering within defence, space or high-reliability electronics
Proven ability to produce documentation that clears customer review first time
PMPCB, NSPAR, GIDEP or obsolescence experience (ideal)
ITAR: This role supports US Government space technology. Applicants must be a US citizen, permanent resident, protected individual, or otherwise eligible for the required export authorisations.
Interested Apply now or send your latest CV to m.carter@evona.com ASAP! If you haven’t heard back within 48 hours, please assume your application was not successful this time.
We're working with a fast-moving space company that needs a Loads & Dynamics Engineer to own the dynamic environments side of its hardware programmes. This isn't documentation-heavy compliance work — it's hands-on analysis where you'll derive environments, get test data in the room, and correlate it back against your models.
The core need is loads & dynamics, but there's a meaningful stress/FEA component alongside it. The ideal hire is a dynamics-focused engineer who can also carry a heavier Nastran workload and hold their own on stress — someone comfortable across both rather than a pure specialist in one. Depending on background, this could also be scoped as two separate engagements (loads & dynamics and stress), so strong candidates weighted toward either side are worth a conversation.
You won't need to be a career-long specialist, but you do need real depth in the discipline and the confidence to work directly with customers.
What you'll be doing
Loads & dynamics (primary)
Deriving dynamic environments and structural loads for spacecraft and launch hardware
Vibro-acoustics, random vibration, shock response, and structural dynamics analysis
Building system-level FE models and generating super-elements for customer delivery
Planning and correlating test campaigns — collecting data and reconciling it with your models
Iterating directly with customers on coupled loads and integrated analysis
Stress / FEA (alongside)
Detailed stress and structural analysis, hand calculations, and margins of safety
Heavier Nastran/FEA workload supporting the analysis effort
Desktop analysis work, largely remote
What we're looking for
Strong loads & dynamics background gained in space or defence
Proven experience deriving environments, running test campaigns, and correlating models to data
Solid stress/FEA capability — hands-on with Nastran (Femap, Patran, or equivalent an advantage)
Ideal: engineers out of new space — the pace, ownership, and end-to-end analysis culture of companies like Blue Origin, SpaceX, Rocket Lab, or Relativity map directly onto how this team works.
Also welcome: defence backgrounds, particularly propulsion (liquid or solid), missile, or high-speed aircraft systems.
Logistics
Contract engagement
Fully remote — largely desktop analysis, with no foreseeable on-site requirement (any minimal site coordination would be years out and hardware-dependent)
Contract Senior Manufacturing Engineer (Space Hardware) Location: Littleton, CO Type: 12months Contract $Dependent on Experience
EVONA is partnering with a world leader in solar electric propulsion and space exploration satellites to secure a Senior Manufacturing Engineer.
You’ll be the manufacturing owner for parts and products across multiple programs — taking designs from inception, through production, and into test and final delivery. This is a hands-on role for someone who thrives on the floor, works shoulder-to-shoulder with technicians, and knows how to hit deadlines in a fast-paced, high-rate production environment.
? What You’ll Be Working On
Owning manufacturing readiness, quality and on-time delivery across multiple programs
Writing and implementing manufacturing plans, travelers and SOPs
Resolving yield, throughput and quality issues with the production team
Leading non-conformance investigations as an MRB member
Designing tooling and fixtures that make assembly and integration faster and cleaner
Supporting AI&T activities for mechanical and module-level testing
Mentoring technicians and supporting key program reviews (CDR, MRR, TRR)
?? What You’ll Bring
BS in Mechanical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering Technology
5–8 years of manufacturing engineering experience
Hands-on spacecraft fabrication and test experience (ideal)
Non-conformance resolution and manufacturing process development
Strong written and verbal communication
? Interested? Apply now or send your latest CV to m.carter@evona.com ASAP! If you haven’t heard back within 48 hours, please assume your application was not successful this time.
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