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Electrical Engineer, Optical Communications Verified today

Cowboy Space · San Carlos, CA · RF & Comms · first seen 2026-07-16
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About Cowboy Space Corp.

Cowboy Space Corporation is building infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit and transmit energy via infrared lasers, power on-orbit computing clusters, and provide secure, high-bandwidth optical data transport. We enable direct, on-demand, scalable energy distribution and data processing from space to support the space industrial base, in-space servicing and manufacturing, remote regions, and military applications.

The Role

You will design and deploy advanced communication systems with emphasis on high-speed optical communications and software-defined radio architectures. This role sits at the boundary of networking, RF avionics, and embedded compute, requiring a systems-level approach to building robust, flight-capable communication pipelines.

You will own development of RF and hybrid RF/optical communication subsystems capable of delivering high-throughput data links under real-world constraints including motion, atmospheric interference, thermal variation, and limited power budgets.

Responsibilities

  • Design, develop, and integrate communication PCBAs, modulators, and devices for airborne or space-based platforms
  • Architect and implement SDR-based communication pipelines (modulation, encoding, synchronization, and signal processing)
  • Develop high-speed optical communication links (free-space optics / laser comms), including link budgeting, pointing and tracking, and alignment strategies with intelligent failover and redundancy
  • Perform system-level trade studies from high-speed optical links
  • Design and validate end-to-end communication chains, from data streams through communication PCBAs to optical front-ends
  • Collaborate closely with avionics, firmware, and compute teams to integrate comms systems into flight hardware
  • Develop test infrastructure for lab and field validation, including over-the-air testing and optical link validation setups
  • Analyze performance under real-world conditions (noise, interference, Doppler, atmospheric turbulence, pointing loss) and iterate rapidly
  • Own documentation, interface definitions, and system performance metrics for communication subsystems

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field
  • 3+ years of experience in RF systems, communications engineering, or related domain
  • Strong fundamentals in communication theory (modulation, coding, synchronization, signal propagation)
  • Experience designing PCBAs for communication systems
  • Experience with software-defined radio platforms
  • Hands-on experience with RF lab equipment (spectrum analyzers, signal generators, VNAs, oscilloscopes)
  • Familiarity with link budgeting and system-level performance analysis
  • Experience working across hardware and software boundaries

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience designing or deploying high-speed optical communication systems (free-space optics, laser communications, coherent optical links, or photonics)
  • Background in avionics, aerospace systems, or other mission-critical embedded environments
  • Experience with real-time DSP implementation on embedded systems, FPGAs, or GPUs
  • Familiarity with SDR frameworks and low-level radio hardware (e.g., USRPs or custom RF front-ends)
  • Understanding of atmospheric effects on both RF and optical propagation (scattering, absorption, turbulence)
  • Experience with pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) systems for optical links
  • Knowledge of antenna systems, phased arrays, or optical beam steering technologies
  • Experience with high-throughput data systems and low-latency communication architectures
  • Experience working within SWaP (size, weight, and power) constraints for flight systems
  • Strong debugging skills across the full stack: RF front-end, optical systems, firmware, and software

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range: $150,000-$200,000 annually. Actual base salary depends on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

  • Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) retirement savings plan
  • Paid time off
  • 10 paid holidays per calendar year
  • Paid parental leave
  • Relocation assistance if applicable
  • Daily lunch in office and fully stocked kitchen

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.