Payload Motor Controls and Power Electronics Engineer
at Space Kinetic · 1-10 employees
Seed · $12M · Aug 2025
- Location
- El Segundo, California
- Posted
- 6d ago
at Space Kinetic · 1-10 employees
Space Kinetic develops a propellant-free electromechanical payload-deployment system and patented mechanism to eject diverse small payloads at high velocities from host satellites for space and missile defense applications.
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none">A New Paradigm For Space Operations.</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559737":-360,"335559740":240}"> </span></p> <div><strong><span data-contrast="none">Who We Are:</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559737":-360,"335559739":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></div> <div> <p>Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.</p> <p>This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.<span data-contrast="auto"> </span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559731":0}"> </span></p> </div> <p><strong><span data-contrast="none">What You’ll Do:</span></strong> </p> <p data-start="21" data-end="396">The <strong>Payload Motor Controls and Power Electronics Engineer</strong> will design, model, simulate, and implement custom motor controllers and power-conversion systems for a spacecraft payload. This hands-on role will work across hardware, software, and systems engineering to rapidly develop and prepare prototype technology for flight.</p> <p data-start="21" data-end="396"><strong>Job Responsibilities:</strong></p> <ul> <li data-section-id="1ytsas5" data-start="375" data-end="459">Design spacecraft actuators, motor controls, power electronics, and power systems.</li> <li data-section-id="17xtym4" data-start="460" data-end="566">Model and simulate electromechanical and power systems for feasibility, optimization, and system sizing.</li> <li data-section-id="1jrmi8m" data-start="567" data-end="625">Implement motor-control designs on DSP and FPGA targets.</li> <li data-section-id="n8ys1p" data-start="626" data-end="694">Develop hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop simulations.</li> <li data-section-id="fmn1ub" data-start="695" data-end="781">Perform iterative testing and develop operational knowledge of the complete payload.</li> <li data-section-id="f7spvu" data-start="782" data-end="857">Coordinate electrical and software requirements across engineering teams.</li> <li data-section-id="1cwxriq" data-start="858" data-end="948">Evaluate buy-versus-build decisions and communicate cost, schedule, and technical risks.</li> </ul> <div><strong><span data-contrast="none">What It Takes:</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></div> <div> <ul> <li data-section-id="1h0nyd8" data-start="970" data-end="1044">Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field OR a Master’s degree or PhD may substitute for two years of experience per advanced degree.</li> <li data-section-id="1wbtqc9" data-start="1045" data-end="1167">7+ years of motor controls and power electronics experience. </li> <li data-section-id="1a9z9n3" data-start="1168" data-end="1226">Experience with dynamic modeling and controls in MATLAB.</li> <li data-section-id="18wvk7s" data-start="1227" data-end="1318">Strong knowledge of BLDC motors and control algorithms, including field-oriented control.</li> <li data-section-id="1qfr4h6" data-start="1319" data-end="1383">Experience with power-converter topologies and their controls.</li> <li data-section-id="lqyksl" data-start="1384" data-end="1468">Experience implementing algorithms in hardware and software for target deployment.</li> <li data-section-id="k26t93" data-start="1469" data-end="1530">Strong systems-thinking and complex problem-solving skills.</li> </ul> </div> <div> <p><strong>What We'd Love:</strong></p> <ul> <li data-section-id="1u4zlbi" data-start="1553" data-end="1628">Familiarity with payload-interface hardware used in spaceflight missions.</li> <li data-section-id="16mr76" data-start="1629" data-end="1691">Hands-on circuit-design and software-development experience.</li> <li data-section-id="mkmk0p" data-start="1692" data-end="1762">Understanding of spaceflight payloads and space-environment effects. </li> </ul> </div> <div><strong><span data-contrast="none">Where You’ll Be:</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></div> <ul> <li data-leveltext="●" data-font="Noto Sans Symbols" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Noto Sans Symbols","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"●","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> <div><span data-contrast="none">The position will be on site at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></div> </li> </ul> <p><strong><span data-contrast="none">What We Offer: </span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></p> <ul> <li>Competitive Base Salary + Equity-Based Compensation</li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar</span></li> <li><span data-