Digital Design Engineer
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Job Description
We are seeking experienced Digital Design Engineers to join our Satellite Avionics team. In this role you will own the electrical design of complex digital boards for a next-generation satellite constellation, including high-speed interfaces, FPGA integration, and mixed-signal subsystems. You will play a central role in delivering flight-qualified avionics hardware from concept through qualification.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own schematic design and component selection for digital avionics boards, from concept through flight qualification.
- Design high-speed SERDES interfaces (PCIe, JESD, gigabit links) and DDR4/DDR5 memory interfaces with proper timing closure.
- Develop clocking architectures including PLL configuration, jitter management, and clock distribution networks.
- Perform power budgeting and system-level power allocation across board subsystems.
- Apply radiation-tolerant design techniques including SEU/SEE mitigation, TID considerations, and appropriate component derating.
- Collaborate with FPGA engineers on support circuitry design, pinout planning, and power/layout requirements.
- Drive board bring-up activities including configuration, interface verification, and structured debugging.
- Participate in design reviews and cross-functional integration with RF, power, thermal, and mechanical teams.
Required Qualifications:
- Own schematic design and component selection for digital avionics boards, from concept through flight qualification.
- Design high-speed SERDES interfaces (PCIe, JESD, gigabit links) and DDR4/DDR5 memory interfaces with proper timing closure.
- Develop clocking architectures including PLL configuration, jitter management, and clock distribution networks.
- Perform power budgeting and system-level power allocation across board subsystems.
- Apply radiation-tolerant design techniques including SEU/SEE mitigation, TID considerations, and appropriate component derating.
- Collaborate with FPGA engineers on support circuitry design, pinout planning, and power/layout requirements.
- Drive board bring-up activities including configuration, interface verification, and structured debugging.
- Participate in design reviews and cross-functional integration with RF, power, thermal, and mechanical teams.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with satellite or spacecraft avionics design and qualification (EM/QM/FM build cycles).
- Background in non-volatile memory technologies (Flash, MRAM, FRAM) and in-system programmability.
- Exposure to power supply design and power integrity analysis for digital boards.
- Experience with design for radiation reliability and single-event effects mitigation at the board level.
- Familiarity with signal integrity simulation tools (HyperLynx SI/PI, Ansys, ADS).
Tools & Technologies:
- Altium Designer (schematic capture and layout review)
- HyperLynx SI, SI/PI, and Full-Wave (signal and power integrity)
- SPICE-based circuit simulation
- FPGA vendor toolchains (for interface bring-up and debug)
Automate your job search with Sonara.
Submit 10x as many applications with less effort than one manual application.
