Lead - Satellite Test Engineer (Embedded)

Job description

Role: Lead - Satellite Checkout Engineer Employment Type:Full Time Educational Qualification: B.E./B.Tech/M.S/M.Tech in Electrical & Electronics (or Instrumentation) Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field. Work Experience: Minimum 10-12 years of experience in Checkout / Embedded Software Quality Engineering & Assurance / Software AIT within the aerospace, satellite manufacturing,automotive or defence industries. Experience in establishing and managing teams at an organisational level is highly desirable. **Role Description** Team lead of the Checkout group in the Space Department of Pixxel. **Responsibilities & Duties** - As a part of Pixxel’s Production group, you will be responsible for the integration and testing of all spacecraft systems software. - You’ll develop and implement comprehensive system test plans, perform analysis, and document outcomes at different stages of satellite integration. You'll play a pivotal role in recording and categorizing defects, while also summarizing test results for clear communication. - You’ll investigate and analyze defects, reproducing scenarios using ground-based rigs to aid Root Cause Analysis (RCA). Develop and implement tests to address defects effectively in collaboration with the design team. - You will be expected to continuously optimize the checkout process and philosophy to be lean, simple, and reliable. - You would be expected to lead various satellite test campaigns like - Thermo Vacuum Cycling campaigns, Hardware-In-Loop Tests, Day-In-Life Tests, EMI/EMC Campaign etc. - You will be responsible for configuration managment of the deployment software for production satellites. - You will be responsible for creation and maintenance of documentation of all test activities performed by the checkout team. Leadership & Strategy - You will lead, guide and manage a team of 5+ checkout engineers, assuming responsibility for both their technical leadership and personnel management. You will also be responsible for the staffing of the checkout team for all future missions. - You will oversee sprint planning for the checkout team, including task allocation and bandwidth management. - Guide the team towards continuous improvement and upskilling, enabling them to plan and conduct test campaigns independently, thereby reducing reliance on the design team. - You will be expected to interface with Verification & Validation team, Flight Software Team, Program office, Production team and Quality assurance team on a regular basis to identify checkout activities, plan execution, and perform tests in sprint cycles. **Desirable Skills & Certifications** - Strong understanding and experience in Avionics / Payload Systems, cross functional system level knowledge of various satellite systems (Electrical Power, Sensors, Actuators, Radios, Propulsion, etc), result analysis, and multi-system testing. - Experience in reading and understanding datasheets, technical reports, software release notes, wiring diagrams, schematics and test plans is a must. Should be well versed in providing technical feedback to the design team. - Strong understanding of test campaigns - firmware release tests, Day-in-life test, Functional Checks, System performance test - and ability to quickly and accurately document test reports and results. - Demonstrated experience in successfully running production level test campaigns for products in aerospace / automotive / defense sectors. Experience in testing of satellites - will be a bonus. - High proficiency in Python, C, C++. Comfortable with Linux based tools. - Strong written and interpersonal skills for effective collaboration with various subsystems in the space department’s design teams. - You will have to be impeccable with your documentation - to record tests plans, results & be able to deliver technical feedbacks to the design teams. **Candidate Acumen** A strong desire to work in an unstructured, high-growth, fast-paced start-up environment. Ability to deal with challenges and work out innovative solutions to tackle them. Building a team and guiding them towards success. **Benefits** Health insurance coverage Unlimited leaves & flexible working hours Role-based remote work and work-from-home benefit Relocation assistance Professional Mental Wellness services Creche facility for primary caregivers (limited to India) Employee Stock Options for all hires **About Pixxel** Pixxel is a space data company and spacecraft manufacturer redefining Earth observation with hyperspectral imaging. The company’s first three commercial hyperspectral satellites—Fireflies—deliver imagery at 5-meter resolution and 135+ spectral bands, providing 50x richer detail than traditional Earth observation systems and unlocking insights across agriculture, climate, energy, environment, and more. Once fully deployed, Pixxel’s constellation of 18-24 satellites will capture imagery across up to 250 bands in VNIR and SWIR ranges, with a 40 km swath and daily global revisit capability. Pixxel’s most unique strength is its full-stack approach, integrating every layer of the value chain from satellite hardware and manufacturing to AI-powered analytics. Pixxel’s satellite constellation is complemented by Aurora, its in-house Earth Observation Studio that simplifies satellite imagery analysis and democratises remote sensing for all. Designed to make hyperspectral data more accessible, Aurora by Pixxel combines high-frequency imagery with AI-powered tools to generate actionable insights, even for users without technical backgrounds. The third pillar of Pixxel’s ecosystem is its in-house satellite manufacturing capability. Beyond building its own spacecraft, Pixxel also provides satellite systems and subsystems to other organisations. This dual capacity sets it apart in a sector where most companies focus on either payload design or data operations, but not b