Electrical Engineer I

About the Role

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder is seeking an early-career Electrical Engineer to join its Electrical Engineering Department. This role focuses on the development of advanced electronics for spacecraft and scientific instruments, contributing to the design, build, test, and operation of electronics for scientific exploration.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design, analysis, fabrication support, integration, and verification of spaceflight and ground-support electronics.
• Work under the guidance of senior engineers to learn engineering practices, technical rigor, and documentation processes for reliable electronics development.
• Assignments will align with technical interests and capabilities, with increasing independence as experience is gained.
• Assignments may support multiple spacecraft and scientific instrument programs at various stages of development.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Foundational understanding of electrical circuit theory, analog and digital electronics, circuit analysis, and electronic components.
• Experience with electrical design, analysis, or testing gained through academic projects, laboratory coursework, research, internships, or professional employment.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, component datasheets, technical specifications, and engineering requirements.
• Familiarity with common electrical laboratory equipment, including oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, programmable power supplies, and signal generators.
• Experience with or exposure to several electrical engineering design tools such as Altium Designer, OrCAD, KiCad, LTspice, MATLAB, or an equivalent application.
• Ability to document technical work clearly and communicate engineering results in written and verbal formats.
• Demonstrated ability to work constructively with others, incorporate technical feedback, and learn new engineering tools and methods.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with an organized approach to engineering design, testing, and troubleshooting.
• An interest in hands-on electronics development and the ability to translate theoretical engineering concepts into practical hardware and test activities.
• Attention to detail and a commitment to producing accurate, well-documented engineering work.
• Ability to manage assigned tasks, communicate technical progress, and seek clarification or assistance when appropriate.
• Willingness to follow established engineering processes, safety requirements, and configuration-management practices.
• A collaborative mindset and an interest in learning from experienced engineers while developing independent technical judgment.
• Adaptability and enthusiasm for working across multiple engineering disciplines and projects.

Highly Desirable Experience/Exposure

• Circuit and PCB Design: Schematic capture, component selection, PCB layout, mixed-signal electronics, or electronics assembly and test.
• Digital Electronics and FPGAs: Digital logic, VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, FPGA simulation, verification, or development using AMD Vivado, Microchip Libero, or similar environments.
• Analog and Sensor Electronics: Operational amplifiers, analog signal conditioning, ADC/DAC interfaces, precision measurement circuits, or low-noise analog design.
• Power Electronics: DC/DC converters, voltage regulators, power distribution, battery interfaces, or power-conversion circuits.
• Embedded Systems: Microcontrollers, digital interfaces, SPI, I²C, UART, or embedded hardware/software integration.
• Test and Automation: Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, automated test equipment, data acquisition, test scripting, or hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Electrical Integration: Harness design, electrical ground support equipment (EGSE), electrical interfaces, cable fabrication, or electronics troubleshooting.
• Engineering Tools and Processes: Altium Designer, OrCAD, KiCad, LTspice, SolidWorks Electrical, Git, Jira, requirements verification, or technical configuration management.
• High-Reliability Electronics: Spacecraft or aerospace projects, CubeSats, student satellite programs, component derating, environmental testing, or high-reliability electronic assembly practices.
• Relevant experience may come from academic research, internships, personal engineering projects.