Wardstone
Electrical Engineer - Avionics
Los Angeles, CA, US · Not specified
- Annual base salary
- $100k – $160k USD
- Equity
- Not disclosed
- Commitment
- Full Time
- Company stage
- Not disclosed
Compensation as listed
$100K - $160K • 0.25% - 0.75%
About Wardstone
Wardstone builds a modular interceptor platform of right-sized, mass-producible interceptors that enable the West to out-produce, out-innovate, and out-perform its adversaries.
About the role
We are looking for a hands-on Electrical Engineer to lead the development of high-reliability electronics for our interceptor prototypes and future VLEO satellites. You will own everything from board-level design to power systems, sensor integration, EMI/EMC, and flight hardware integration. Expect to work directly with founders, integrate components, run tests, and ship hardware that flies and intercepts targets.
If you’re excited by high-stakes engineering, rapid prototyping, and pushing physics boundaries, we are going to get along great!
What You’ll Do
Electrical Design & Prototyping
- Design, simulate, and develop PCBs for sensing, actuation, power, and avionics.
- Own schematic capture, layout, DFM, component selection, and vendor interaction.
- Develop high-reliability power systems (DC–DC, battery systems, protection circuits, transient management).
Sensor and Actuator Solutions
- Integrate IR cameras, Radar, IMUs, GNSS, rad-hard components, and electromechanical actuators.
- Develop signal-conditioning circuits, sensor fusion interfaces, and low-latency sensing+actuation to enable the autopilot to control the vehicle.
Flight Hardware & Harsh-Environment Design
- Perform thermal, vibration, and shock analysis for >100km altitude environments.
- Support hardware qualification: TVAC, vibe, EMI/EMC, and high-G ground testing.
Embedded & System Integration
- Collaborate closely with embedded software engineers on microcontroller architectures, drivers, and electrical-firmware interfaces.
- Bring-up, debug, test, and iterate hardware in the lab using scopes, logic analyzers, DAQs, etc.
Execution & Ownership
- Write requirements, test plans, and documentation.
- Take hardware from concept → prototype → test → flight-ready.
- Rapid debugging and converging on functional+performant solutions.
Required Qualifications
- B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
- Strong experience with PCB design tools (KiCad, Altium, or similar).
- Hands-on prototyping experience: soldering, rework, bring-up, rapid iteration.
- Experience integrating sensors, mixed-signal electronics, or power systems.
- Comfort with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and test equipment.
- Strong fundamentals in circuit analysis, signal integrity, noise, grounding, and EMI/EMC.
- Ability to own hardware end-to-end: design, build, test, debug, iterate.
- US CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED
Nice to Haves
- Experience with IR cameras, high-speed digital buses, or RF systems.
- Background in aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, automotive, or satellites.
- Knowledge of high-G design, radiation effects, or space-environment electronics.
- Embedded firmware experience (C/C++, STM32/Teensy/PIC/ESP32, RTOS).
- Familiarity with power systems, motor drives, or actuator control.
- Experience with MIL-STD-461, DO-160, or NASA/ESA flight hardware standards.
Technology
Wardstone’s product is a low-cost, modular interceptor for air and missile defense. It is built on a common airframe that can be configured with a mission-tailored seeker, propulsion, and payload modules. It defeats air-breathing and cruise missile threats at a fraction of the cost of exquisite interceptors, adding affordable magazine depth to existing air defense systems.
Interview Process
- 15-30 min phone intro with CEO
- 1 Hour phone deep dive with CTO
- 1 Hour in person with CEO
Source: Y Combinator. Confirm availability with the employer.
Apply through the original posting.
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