Photovoltaics Engineer
Impulse Space
USD 140k-180k / year + Equity
Posted on Sep 17, 2025
As a Photovoltaics Engineer, you will design and develop spacecraft solar cells.
You will work closely with power systems engineers, supply chain specialists, manufacturing engineers, materials engineers, mechanical engineers, and others to develop modern high-quality cost-effective solar solutions.
- Department
- Avionics
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Location
- Redondo Beach
- Workplace type
- Onsite
- Compensation
- $140,000 - $180,000 / year
Responsibilities
- Design and develop silicon solar cells for spaceflight applications
- Work with a cross-disciplinary team to determine requirements for future array developments
- Select materials and topologies to maximize performance at a cost-effective price point
- Analyze solar cell power generation across operating conditions and lifetime
- Document and release designs per industry best practices
- Develop and execute qualification test campaigns specific to spacecraft solar cells
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering
- 4+ years professional experience developing spacecraft silicon solar cells
- Experience with the trade-offs between different kinds of silicon cells and coatings
- Experience with the effects of UV, ionizing radiation, thermal shock, atomic oxygen, MMOD, etc
- Experience with the solar-related parts of NASA-HDBK-4002B
- Familiarity with modern solar cell technologies from multiple industries
- Familiarity with the equipment used to manufacture modern spacecraft solar cells
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering
- Familiarity with spacecraft silicon solar cell supply chain
- Familiarity with surface charging effects
- Experience in a startup or agile environment
- Project management experience
Additional Information:
Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
About Impulse Space
Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.
Our Hiring Process
Stage 1:
Application Received
Stage 2:
Resume Review
Stage 3:
Intro Phone Interview
Stage 4:
Technical Phone Interview(s)
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