The role
- COMP
- $170K - $240K
- EQUITY
- Competitive equity
- LOCATION
- Los Angeles
- WORKPLACE
- On-site
- EXPERIENCE
- 10+ years
- VISA
- None
- STACK
- Python
- INDUSTRY
- Hardware, Manufacturing
/roles — ROLE_166
Sr. Communications Payload Architect
Space startup with a demo satellite in orbit, building a global internet constellation around novel antenna technology
The company
Well-funded space company developing a broadband satellite constellation with its own antenna and payload technology to bring fast, low-latency internet to business and government buyers worldwide.
- STAGE
- scale-up
- FUNDING
- $200M+ raised
- TEAM
- ~50 people
- FOUNDED
- 2014
- BACKING
- backed by Kleiner Perkins
JD — the work
About the role
A senior individual-contributor role owning the complete communications payload architecture of a new broadband satellite system. You would optimize the payload design, steer the roadmap for developing new payload technology, and make sure the payload meets what the business has promised customers, managing it as a program as much as a product. The team has invested several years in developing its own antenna and payload designs, and you would work closely with executives, sales, hardware engineers, and suppliers. The role is on-site five days a week in the Los Angeles area.
What you'll do
- Own system-level payload architecture, including link and power budgets and forecasts of future performance gains
- Manage current and prospective payload vendors and direct them to build new RF parts for volume production
- Run the payload R&D program and predict when technologies will be ready relative to customer commitments
- Find weak points in the RF chain, from transponders and amplifiers to filters and frequency conversion
- Set qualification testing plans, requirements, and milestones that de-risk the technology before full production
What they're looking for
- 7 to 15 years of experience in satellite communications payload or RF systems engineering
- Strong command of link and power budget analysis and RF chain performance
- Experience steering suppliers to create new parts for volume production
- Comfort owning technology roadmaps and qualification programs at a strategic level