Head of Engineering Full time Engineering / Avionics Travel Required Security Clearance S. security clearance Parallax Space is seeking a Principal Avionics Engineer to architect and own our core avionics offerings for space vehicles. This person will define the avionics product line that Parallax builds once and deploys across spacecraft buses, hosted payloads, and integrated mission systems: command and data handling, flight computing, power distribution and control, spacecraft networking, and payload and vehicle interfaces.

The Principal Avionics

Engineer will set the technical baseline for how Parallax avionics are architected, designed, qualified, and produced. They will take avionics from architecture and trade studies through schematic and PCB design, bring-up, integration, environmental qualification, and flight, and will make sure those designs scale into repeatable production. This is a foundational, high-ownership role for an experienced avionics leader who can be the senior technical authority on avionics, build the team around them, and still get hands-on in the lab when the hardware needs it.

Architect

Parallax’s core avionics offerings: a modular, reusable avionics product line that can be configured across spacecraft buses, hosted payloads, and mission systems. Define the avionics architecture, including flight computers, C&DH;, power distribution and control units, spacecraft networking, payload interface electronics, and harnessing. Ethernet, SpaceWire, CAN, RS-422/485, LVDS, SPI, I²C) so avionics modules work together and plug into customer payloads.

Lead trade studies that balance performance, size, weight, power, cost, reliability, radiation tolerance, and manufacturability, including make/buy and supplier decisions. Lead the design of analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power electronics for flight hardware. Guide schematic capture, PCB layout, stack-up and material selection, component selection, derating, and worst-case circuit analysis.





Define EE/software interface requirements with flight software and firmware teams, including fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR). Lead radiation effects analysis and parts selection strategy (rad-hard, rad-tolerant, and screened COTS). Integration, Test & Qualification Develop avionics requirements, ICDs, verification plans, and test procedures that roll up into the spacecraft technical baseline.

Architect and build avionics testbeds, flatsats, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) environments. Lead environmental qualification and acceptance testing, including TVAC, vibration, shock, and EMI/EMC.

Technical

Leadership & Team Building Serve as the senior technical authority for avionics across programs and customer engagements. Hire, mentor, and grow avionics, electrical, and test engineers, and set design and review standards for the team. Work closely with systems, flight software, GNC, mechanical, thermal, manufacturing, and supply chain teams.

Represent

Parallax avionics with technical credibility to commercial, civil, defense, and national security customers, including in proposals and design reviews. Design avionics for manufacturing and test, partnering with manufacturing engineering to reach repeatable rate production. Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline. ~12+ years designing and delivering avionics or high-reliability electronics, with significant experience on spacecraft, satellite, or launch vehicle programs. ~ Deep experience with flight computing and C&DH;,



including processors, FPGAs or SoCs, memory, redundancy, and spacecraft data interfaces. ~ Working knowledge of space environments and their effect on electronics: radiation (TID, SEE), thermal, vacuum, and EMI/EMC. ~ Experience with environmental qualification (TVAC, vibration, shock, EMI/EMC) and with leading technical reviews such as PDR, CDR, and TRR. ~ Demonstrated technical leadership, including owning a subsystem end to end and mentoring engineers. ~ Excellent written and verbal communication, including explaining technical trade-offs to leadership and customers. ~ S. security clearance; Master’s degree or higher in Electrical or Computer Engineering. ~15+ years of avionics experience, including building a modular or product-line avionics architecture reused across multiple vehicles. ~ Experience with spacecraft power systems: power distribution units, battery and solar array management, switching converters, and fault protection. ~ Experience with spacecraft networking and modular standards such as SpaceWire, deterministic Ethernet/TSN, SpaceVPX, or CubeSat/SmallSat form factors. ~ Experience building HIL/SIL testbeds and supporting spacecraft integration, launch, and on-orbit operations. ~ Background with proliferated LEO, SDA, DoD, IC, NASA, or commercial space programs, including hosted payloads. ~ Experience taking avionics into rate production at a startup or high-growth company. ~ Proficiency with Altium or similar EDA tools and with circuit simulation and analysis tools.

Architectural Judgment Technical Ownership Risk Management You will work on real missions and real hardware with a high-performing team of engineers, operators, and builders, and help build the engineering backbone of a rapidly scaling space company. This position requires access to export-controlled information under ITAR/EAR regulations and the ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance. #

📌 Principal Avionics Engineer (Quinte West)
🏢 Parallax Space
📍 Quinte West