# Founding Lead Space Power Electronics Engineer at Pillarspace

> Hybrid · United States · Staff · Software engineering · open. Source: https://alderhq.app/jobs/ashby%3Apillarspace%3A7affd4e2-1e5b-4c75-80bf-4bfd5b2adcb4 (read 2026-11-10).

## Facts (observed)

- Company: [Pillarspace](https://alderhq.app/companies/pillarspace)
- Location text: Los Angeles, CA
- Where it can be done from (inferred): Hybrid · United States (evidence: "Location: Los Angeles, CA")
- Posted: 2026-10-27 (14 days ago)
- First seen by alder: 2026-11-07 · last verified: 2026-11-08
- Reposted: 0 times · edited: 0 times
- Apply on the employer's site: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/pillarspace/7affd4e2-1e5b-4c75-80bf-4bfd5b2adcb4

## Pay and sponsorship

- Posted pay: $185k–$275k per year (from the listing's pay field)
- Market band for similar posted roles (Los Angeles, n 173): p25 $179k, median $192k, p75 $205k

## Description (the employer's text)

### Founding Lead Space Power Electronics Engineer

Equity: 0.3% – 1% depending on experience

### About Us

We're a stealth team building space hardware at the edge of what's currently possible — high-stakes, flight-grade systems where the engineering bar is unforgiving and the upside is enormous. While we can't share full details yet, our founding and early engineering team includes talent from SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, and Impulse Space, the group includes people who've pulled off feats almost no one else on Earth has.

### Role Overview

We're seeking a Founding Lead Space Power Electronics Engineer to take ownership of the electrical power system from first principles — driving the design of power generation, energy storage, conversion, regulation, and distribution from concept through analysis, build, and qualification. You'll make the early architecture decisions the rest of the program is built on, set the standards and tooling, and grow the power team behind you.

### Key Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end design of the electrical power system — power generation, energy storage, regulation, distribution, and harnessing — from concept through detailed design, prototyping, qualification, integration, and on-orbit operations.

Build and maintain power and energy budgets across every mission phase and orbital condition — eclipse vs. insolation, peak vs. average loads, safe mode, and beginning- to end-of-life margins.

Size, specify, and/or design solar arrays: cell and string selection, substrate and layout, deployment, sun-pointing/SADA considerations, and degradation/EOL performance.

Define the battery system: Li-ion cell selection, pack and module design, charge and discharge regulation, depth-of-discharge and cycle-life budgeting, thermal management, and cell-level safety and protection.

Design or specify the power distribution and conditioning unit (PCDU/PDU): bus architecture and regulation topology (DET vs. MPPT/PPT), switching, current limiting (LCLs/fusing), inrush, EMI/EMC, and fault protection.

Design the spacecraft harness: wire-gauge sizing and derating, shielding, grounding and bonding architecture, connector selection, routing, and mass/loss budgets.

Perform reliability and worst-case analysis — worst-case circuit analysis, parts-stress and derating, FMEA, and fault management; identify and retire single-point failures across the power system.

Select EEE and rad-tolerant parts, own the EPS parts list, and manage derating, obsolescence, and lead-time risk.

Lead EPS functional test, design EGSE and test automation, and run environmental campaigns (thermal vacuum, vibration, EMI), supporting spacecraft-level integration and test.

Drive make-or-buy decisions, evaluate and manage vendors, and carry EPS deliverables through PDR/CDR and on to flight.

Define requirements, loads, interfaces, error budgets, and verification plans at the component, subsystem, and system levels.

Build and test prototypes and power testbeds, analyze failures, and drive root-cause resolution and design iteration.

Work cross-functionally with systems, thermal, controls/ADCS, avionics, propulsion, structures, software, and manufacturing to close interfaces and deliver an integrated flight system.

Establish EPS processes, tooling, and documentation from scratch, and mentor and grow the power team as we scale.

### Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline — including mechanical engineers with strong electrical and power-system experience.

2+ years designing, building, analyzing, and testing power electronics or complex electrical hardware.

Solid fundamentals in power electronics (DC-DC conversion, switching and linear regulation, current sensing, MPPT or peak-power tracking), energy storage, and power distribution — or a track record of picking up electrical depth quickly from an adjacent hardware background.

Experience with battery systems, including cell selection, pack design, battery management, and safety.

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Data: alder (https://alderhq.app). Cite https://alderhq.app/jobs/ashby%3Apillarspace%3A7affd4e2-1e5b-4c75-80bf-4bfd5b2adcb4 and the date you read it. Observed facts come from the employer's own listing; location reach, level, family and skills are inferences.