Principal Electrical Engineer — Avionics and Command & Data Handling Lead

AscendArc is hiring a Principal Electrical Engineer — Avionics and Command & Data Handling Lead for a remote role open to applicants in United States. It pays $195k-$250k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on AscendArc.

Level's read on this job

Level rates this role Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
The posting lists this role as remote.
AscendArc mentions visa sponsorship in this posting.
Tools and skills the posting cites include Altium, CAD and avionics.
Level lists 11 other open roles at AscendArc.

AI in this role

Architect satellite avionics and command/data handling systems, designing in-house electronics for a GEO mission.

AltiumCAD

avionicssystems-engineeringpcb-designhardware-architecturecommand-and-data-handling

Come join us in shaping the future! Get in on the ground floor as an early member of our Electrical Engineering team, working on a revolutionary satellite communications system. Architect the avionics and data handling, design the boards, buy the boxes, then make it all work together.
AscendArc is a venture-backed startup founded to revolutionize the satellite communications industry. We are looking for doers who want to work in a ground-breaking and fast-paced environment. Our success will depend on your energy, skill, and creativity.
Responsibilities

Lead avionics and Command & Data Handling (C&DH) within the Electrical Engineering team
Architect the avionics and C&DH subsystem, including buy-vs-build decisions
Own avionics and C&DH requirements, I/O and channel allocation, and interface control documents
Design in-house electronics, including topology, component selection, schematics, and circuit analysis
Perform worst-case and derating analysis and select EEE parts for a 15-year GEO mission
Support PCB layout, board bring-up, debugging, and testing
Own technical procurement of externally sourced units, including specifications, SOWs, technical evaluations, supplier design reviews, and acceptance data
Partner closely with Flight Software, Systems Engineering, Power, Battery, and other Electrical Engineering leads
Own hardware interfaces across power, grounding, bonding, protection, harness, and spacecraft-level integration
Work within the Systems Engineering baseline for requirements, interfaces, and technical budgets while owning avionics architecture decisions

Qualifications

B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline; 8+ years, including spacecraft or other high-reliability avionics. Hands-on board design — circuits taken from requirements through schematic, analysis, bring-up and test, and you can show what you designed
Subsystem-level engineering: architecture definition, requirements flow-down, interface control and resource budgets
Command and data handling: on-board computing, telemetry and command architecture, data bus topology, and discrete, analog and serial signal accommodation
EEE parts selection and derating for space or another high-reliability domain
Specifying and technically managing procured electronics units, including supplier design reviews
Comfortable across electrical, software and systems boundaries, and able to reach agreement with subsystem leads
Strong plus: GEO communications satellites; FPGA or firmware familiarity; ECSS or equivalent space standards

Location: Fully remote within the United StatesOccasional travel to our Beaverton, OR office may be required for team meetings, integration, and other in-person work
Base Salary
The base salary range for this position is $195,000 to $250,000. When determining an individual’s compensation, we consider several factors including skillset, experience, job scope, and current market data, so pay for this role may vary from the amounts listed.
Legal Eligibility to Work
Due to U.S. export control regulations, this position is only open to “U.S. persons.” That means you must be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or have refugee/asylee status. Unfortunately, we cannot consider applicants on temporary work visas (such as H-1B, TN, O-1, etc.) for this role.
Equal Employment Opportunity
AscendArc is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor or legally protected status.

How we rate this

Principal Electrical Engineer — Avionics and Command & Data Handling Lead at AscendArc rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Principal Electrical Engineer — Avionics and Command & Data Handling Lead is an open job at AscendArc.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The listed salary is $195k-$250k a year.
The role is based in Beaverton, United States and is marked remote.
The job was posted on September 18, 2026.
Seniority: lead.
Applications are handled by AscendArc. Apply on AscendArc

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

AvionicsSystems EngineeringPcb DesignHardware ArchitectureCommand And Data HandlingAltiumCAD

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where avionics was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where systems engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where pcb design was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where hardware architecture was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where command and data handling was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Avionics, Systems Engineering, Pcb Design, Hardware Architecture, and Command And Data Handling. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.

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