Kapta Space · 2 months ago
Director of Hardware Engineering – Spaceborne Radar Systems
Seattle, WA
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$198K/yr - $242K/yr
5+ years expKapta Space is a VC-funded early-stage startup in Seattle, WA, focused on Geospatial Intelligence through advanced radar technology. The Director of Hardware Engineering will lead the design and development of electronically-steered radar systems for spaceborne ISR missions, managing cross-disciplinary teams and ensuring project success from concept to deployment.
Defense & Space
No H1B
Security Clearance RequiredU.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Lead the definition of hardware system architecture for electronically-steered radar subsystems including electronically steered antennas, RF front-ends, power electronics, high-speed digital and mixed-signal electronics, and embedded processing hardware
Direct full product lifecycle execution: requirements, architecture, detailed design, prototype build, environmental/radiation/EMI-EMC qualification, manufacturing introduction and spacecraft integration
Recruit, hire, manage and mentor cross-disciplinary engineering teams, guiding execution, staffing, team growth, and culture of ownership and innovation
Partner closely with system engineering, software/firmware, GNC, payload/instrument, and operations to ensure coherent hardware-software interaction, robust performance, and smooth delivery
Own hardware V&V and TRL-advancement strategy: signal/power integrity analysis, reliability modeling, and environmental testing (thermal, vibration, shock, vacuum, EMI/EMC, radiation)
Proactively collaborate with Program Management Office to manage schedules, budgets, risk mitigation, and resource plans to meet mission performance and reliability targets
In conjunction with Program Management Office, drive manufacturability, cost efficiency, and quality through DFX (Design for Excellence) principles and NPI hand-off to production partners
Support engagement with customers, suppliers, and subcontractors throughout the product development life cycle
Qualification
Required
BS/MS, or PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent discipline
Significant experience developing mission-critical hardware for space and/or defense environments
Significant experience as a principal-level individual contributor working with multi-disciplinary engineering teams delivering complex spaceborne hardware
Significant experience (:5+ years) in leadership/management of engineering teams across hardware disciplines
Technical depth in RF/Microwave, Antenna systems, Radar, high-speed digital and mixed-signal electronics and power electronics
Experience with PCB design, EMI/EMC practices, and mechanical/thermal packaging for high-reliability hardware
Proven success qualifying hardware for environmental and radiation conditions and supporting spacecraft/field deployments
Demonstrated understanding of program planning, budget control, schedule execution, risk management, and cross-functional resource management
Excellent communication skills, with ability to present to senior leadership and collaborate with customers and suppliers
Must be eligible to obtain and hold a US DoD security clearance (TS with SCI)
Preferred
Experience with electronically-steered or phased-array radar systems, including beam-steering, calibration approaches and general space reliability
Familiarity with space-qualified component engineering, radiation-tolerant design trade-offs and COTS-to-space conversion strategies
Familiarity with modeling and simulation tools for RF/antenna, signal/power integrity, thermal/structural analyses
Experience with acceptance and qualification test of space rated hardware and related standards such as SMC-S-016, GSFC-STD-7000, MIL-STD-461
Experience in defense contracting environments or ISR/target-tracking radar missions
Exposure to hardware manufacturing scaling, DFM for high-volume production, or lean development practices
Experience collaborating across global supply chains and managing subcontractors
Benefits
Competitive equity grants that reward innovation, impact, and long-term growth
Company
Kapta Space
Low Cost Advanced Spaceborne Electronically Steered Arrays (ESA) to finally deliver on the Promise of Spaceborne Radar careers@kaptaspace.com
Founded in 2023Seattle, WA, US
2-10 employeesFunding
Current Stage
Early StageCompany data provided by crunchbase