HITL Test Engineer

Description

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today, Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe— large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military. With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts.

Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization. Astranis has raised over $750 million from some of the world’s best investors, from Andreessen Horowitz to Blackrock and Fidelity, and employs a team of 450 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated HITL Test Engineer to join our rapidly-growing team. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the  hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testbeds that serve as the primary proving ground for every satellite we build and fly. You will collaborate with nearly every engineering team — Flight Software, Guidance Navigation & Control, Avionics, Power, Payload, and Mission Ops — to ensure our testbeds are flight-representative, reliable, and always ready to support testing. If it runs on a satellite, it gets proven on HITL first.

Role

Own the full lifecycle of flatsat and HITL testbed builds, from initial design and BOM development through hardware procurement and software bring-up

Scope and design harnessing needs, coordinating with manufacturing to produce custom harnesses for flight-like hardware

Serve on a rotating on-call point of contact for testbed health, triaging anomalies and managing access for other engineers

Diagnose and resolve hardware and software failures on the testbed, spanning firmware interfaces, flight software, and physical components

Drive testbed architecture decisions, including hardware allocation tradeoffs and risk mitigation for testbed contention

Expand simulation capabilities as new satellite blocks come online, integrating motor emulators and deployment simulators

Develop tooling to improve testbed observability, monitoring, and automated operations

Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team

Requirements

• Bachelors degree in EE, AE, CS (or equivalent background knowledge)
• 2-5+ years of experience in hardware integration, systems bring-up, or test engineering
• Comfort working across hardware and software, from rack assembly to debugging Python tracebacks
• Experience with embedded systems, proprietary test hardware, or laboratory hardware like logic analyzers and oscilloscopes
• 2+ years of experience with Python (or equivalent high-level scripting language) for test automation
• 1+ years of experience with Linux and shell command line tools
• 1+ years of experience with version control systems (git or equivalent)
• Experience reading schematics and debugging circuits that interface with embedded software
• Strong debugging instincts and a methodical approach to documenting novel failures
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A passion for building things, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on development
• Bonus
• Familiarity with flight software architectures, telemetry systems, or simulation frameworks
• Prior experience with networked lab infrastructure, Kubernetes, or Linux system administration
• Please apply even if you do not meet every single criterion listed above

Benefits

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• All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.
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• Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.
• Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.
• Base Salary
• $150,000—$215,000 USD
• U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required
• (To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))
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• Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.
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