Staff Electrical Hardware Design Engineer

Location: This role is based onsite at our Louisville, CO office.  Travel: Up to 10%, domestic or international. Job ID: 578 About Capella Capella, an IonQ company, spans national security, advanced sensing, and next-generation compute to deliver secure, mission-ready intelligence. Capella’s culture is built on collaboration, rigorous engineering, and a shared commitment to delivering solutions that strengthen global stability and security. Team members work side-by-side with some of the most innovative minds in space systems, quantum-enabled technologies, and mission-critical operations. Capella values curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to tackle hard problems with precision and creativity. Capella welcomes and encourages applicants whose perspectives are historically underrepresented in technology, national security, and aerospace. No prior space experience is required. Diverse viewpoints strengthen Capella’s ability to innovate and deliver meaningful impact for partners worldwide. The Role As a Staff Electrical Hardware Design Engineer, you will take ownership of full-cycle PCBA designs, from early concept to flight readiness. You will work cross-functionally with RF, mechanical, software, FPGA/SoC, and operations teams to bring high-reliability, space-ready electronics to orbit. You will guide the Electrical Engineering team on special topics and present across disciplines to help facilitate ideas, product readiness, and conduct reviews. Responsibilities Own the full electrical design lifecycle for complex spaceflight hardware: Concept of operations, requirements engineering, schematic capture, layout, bring-up, test, and manufacturing handoff  Develop robust analog/digital designs for mission-critical systems under environmental and performance constraints  Organize collaborative cross disciplinary design reviews sharing feedback and shaping solutions with a team of experienced engineers  Provide critical input to schedule planning, hardware requirements, and process improvements  Lead board-level bring-up and debugging, integrating firmware/software/FPGA with embedded systems  Define test plans and verification strategies that meet flight readiness requirements  Play a key role in scaling up our manufacturing facility bringing hardware from prototype to low-volume production  Collaborate across teams- mechanical, RF, software, FPGA/SoC, and systems to ensure seamless integration  Mentor early-career engineers contributing to internal process improvements and elevating the overall quality of the team  Engage with external vendors and CMs, ensuring delivery quality, resolving DFM/DFT issues, and ensuring on-time delivery  Drive failure analysis and root-cause investigations across flight or test anomalies What Success Looks Like   You consistently deliver flight-quality hardware on schedule with minimal oversight  You proactively identify and articulate system-level risks and drive mitigations early  You communicate across hardware/software and cross-functional gaps with confidence and clarity  You make thoughtful trade-offs in constrained environments and justify them with data  You show curiosity about advanced areas like architecture optimization or radiation mitigation, even if they’re outside your scope for now  You exhibit advanced, wide-ranging experience in electrical engineering, using in-depth professional knowledge  You get things done, align with stakeholders, and document concisely   Qualifications   Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related field  8+ years of experience designing and debugging PCBAs  Proficiency in Altium Designer (or similar ECAD tools)  Hands-on experience with lab instruments (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power analyzers, etc.)  Solid understanding of digital buses (I2C, SPI, UART, RS422, CAN, USB, PCIe, Ethernet etc.)   Familiarity with board bring-up, test planning, and design verification workflows  Experience interacting with contract manufacturers, supporting DFM reviews, and resolving production issues  Strong documentation habits and organizational skills  Required Qualification Master’s degree in electrical engineering or related field  Experience designing for harsh environments (thermal, vacuum, vibration, etc.)  Familiarity with high-speed design or impedance-controlled layouts  Basic scripting or automation in Python or C for hardware test workflows  Exposure to radiation effects and mitigation in electronic design  Familiarity with EMI/EMC design practices and validation  Familiarity with satellite electrical systems engineering (propulsion, (EPS) Electrical Power System, (GNSS) Global Navigation Satellite System, (ADCS) Attitude Determination and Control System, space robotics, etc) To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Capella Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable. Learn more about ITAR here .  Compensation   The approximate base salary range for this position is $145,920 - $191,000 . The total compensation package includes base salary, bonus, equity, and a range of benefits available on our career site.  Benefits/Perks   In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation: We provide extensive medical coverage, including strong vision and dental plans, flexible spending accounts, and additional supplemental health options. Stock option grants for new hires