Senior Project Engineer – Space Electronics

We are seeking a Senior Project Engineer to support embedded systems and space electronics programs. This role bridges technical engineering execution and project management, ensuring high-reliability, radiation-tolerant electronics for DoD, IC, and civil space programs.

Job Details

• Role: Senior Project Engineer – Space Electronics
• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Location: Fairfax, Virginia, USA (On-site, 5 days/week)
• Domain: Hardware / Chip Design & Embedded Software
• Experience: 6–15 Years
• Reports To: Director of Engineering

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with cross-functional teams to define project scope, objectives, and deliverables
• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, and resource allocation strategies
• Monitor project progress, adjust plans, and ensure milestones and deadlines are met
• Provide technical guidance throughout the project lifecycle
• Prepare and present status updates to stakeholders and senior leadership
• Ensure adherence to quality standards and engineering processes
• Identify potential risks and implement mitigation strategies
• Facilitate Agile/Scrum ceremonies (stand-ups, sprint planning, retrospectives)
• Track KPIs and adjust execution plans accordingly
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives
• Support travel or off-site program activities as needed

Required Qualifications (Must-Have)

• 5+ years of PCB Design experience (hands-on)
• 5+ years of Embedded Systems Development (firmware, hardware bring-up, RTOS, microcontroller-level work)
• Recent space-based electronics experience (radiation-tolerant, space-qualified, or high-reliability systems)
• Project Engineering / Project Management experience (schedules, budgets, milestones, stakeholder reporting)
• Agile/Scrum facilitation (actively running ceremonies)
• Active Security Clearance

Preferred Qualifications / Nice to Have

• PMP (Project Management Professional)
• ScrumMaster or CSPO certification
• Experience delivering space-qualified or high-reliability products

Skills & Competencies

• Hands-on PCB design and embedded firmware development
• Experience with microcontrollers, SoCs, and RTOS/bare-metal programming
• Knowledge of interfaces: SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet, etc.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills
• Ability to manage schedules, budgets, and risk mitigation
• Experience in space, defense, or high-reliability electronics programs

Interview Process

• 2 rounds: Phone / Virtual Interview followed by On-site Interview

Screening Questions

1. Are you able to work onsite in Fairfax, VA full-time?
• Yes – currently local
• Yes – willing to relocate before start
• No
2. Describe your embedded systems experience, including: microprocessors or SoCs, RTOS or bare-metal, interfaces implemented, and your role.
3. Describe a PCB you personally helped design or bring up: layers, processor/FPGA, power architecture, debugging tools, one specific failure and resolution.
4. Describe a recent space, radiation-tolerant, military, or high-reliability hardware project: environmental requirements, standards followed (MIL-STD, NASA, IPC Class 3), and your responsibility.
5. Describe a program where you participated in PDR and CDR: your role, major risk identified, mitigation, and outcome.
6. Scenario: A space-flight board fails intermittently during thermal cycling at -40°C. Describe your first five investigative steps and reasoning (should mention solder joints, CTE mismatch, clock instability, power rails).
7. Rate candidate''s English communication skills on a scale of 1–10.

If interested, please share your updated resume and availability for a quick discussion.