Electrical & Computer Engineer

Team: Hardware / Payload · Location: Los Angeles, CA (on-site) · Type: Full-time
Compensation: $160,000–$180,000 base + meaningful early-stage equity

About Orbital

Orbital is building data centers in space. AI inference demand is effectively unlimited, and terrestrial data centers are running into hard limits on power, land, and permitting. In orbit, the physics flips in our favor: abundant, uninterrupted solar power and "free" heat rejection into vacuum.

We're designing and manufacturing high-power compute satellites — on the order of 100 kW each — to put GPU compute where the energy and capacity are.

We're a small, fast-moving team. You'll be one of the first hardware hires and own a core part of the spacecraft.

The Role

You'll own the GPU compute board — the heart of our payload — from architecture through manufacturing. Working hands-on with our contract manufacturer (ODM), you'll design a custom board that delivers maximum compute per watt while conforming to the realities of a satellite: tight power and mass budgets, demanding thermal interfaces, the radiation environment of LEO, and launch loads.

You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with our Mechanical & Thermal Engineer — the electrical and thermal/mechanical design of the payload are deeply coupled, and the two of you will co-own the GPU stack from silicon to radiator.

What You'll Do

Architect and design the custom GPU compute board (schematic capture and high-speed PCB) that serves as the satellite's primary payload.
Drive board design and bring-up in close partnership with our ODM — design reviews, DFM, prototype builds, NPI, and qualification.

Own the high-speed interconnect architecture — GPU-to-GPU fabric (e.g., NVLink), SerDes, and high-speed signaling — and evaluate optical / silicon-photonic interconnect for on-board and satellite-to-satellite links.

Run signal integrity and power integrity analysis and ensure the board meets performance under real operating conditions.

Co-design the electrical/thermal/mechanical interface of the payload with the Mechanical & Thermal Engineer — power delivery, heat extraction from the GPUs, packaging, and shielding of components against radiation.

Translate satellite-level constraints (power, mass, volume, thermal, radiation, vibration) into board-level requirements and tradeoffs.

Coordinate environmental and qualification testing (vibration, thermal-vacuum) for the board and payload.
Manage component selection, supplier relationships, and BOM with an eye toward manufacturability and scale.

What You Bring

Degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering (or equivalent experience).

Proven experience designing custom boards / system boards end-to-end — schematic, high-speed PCB layout, bring-up, and debug.

Strong grasp of high-speed digital design, SerDes, and modern compute interconnects (NVLink or comparable GPU/accelerator fabrics).

Hands-on experience working with an ODM / contract manufacturer through design, NPI, and qualification.
Solid signal-integrity and power-integrity fundamentals.

Ability to reason from first principles and make sound tradeoffs under tight, coupled constraints — and to work effectively with a tiny team across electrical, thermal, and mechanical disciplines.

Bonus Points

Familiarity with silicon photonics / co-packaged optics and optical interconnect.

Experience with GPU server / AI-accelerator hardware at a hyperscaler, NVIDIA, or an AI-hardware company.
Space, aerospace, or rad-hard hardware experience (radiation effects, derating, environmental qualification).

Experience taking hardware from prototype to volume manufacturing.

What Success Looks Like (Year One)

A manufacturable, qualified GPU compute board — designed with our ODM and validated against satellite power, thermal, and environmental requirements — ready to integrate into our first compute satellites.

Compensation & Logistics

Base: $160,000–$180,000, plus meaningful early-stage equity.
Location: On-site in Los Angeles.

How to Apply

Email hello@orbital.inc with the subject "Electrical & Computer Engineer." Include a resume and, if you have it, a short note on the hardest custom board you've designed end-to-end and what made it hard. Links to hardware you've shipped are a plus.