Engineering Manager, Avionics
Muon Space · San Jose, CA
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $192k–$212k
- Experience asked
- 8+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management manufacturing role at Muon Space (aerospace & defense) in San Jose, CA. Or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
- They ask for
- 8+ years
- Tools it names
- Robotics, Automation
- Base pay
- $192k–$212k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $114k–$167k. This one lists $192k–$212k.
Median of the low and high ends of 117 live postings that list pay, out of 320 manufacturing engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 319 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 51% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (8+ vs 5+)
Typical $111k–$157k, from 104 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 53%
- New product launch 51%
- Root cause 40%
- ✓ Automation 35%
- Machining 29%
- CATIA / NX 29%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Python, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Muon Space
We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Paul → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Muon Space in San Jose
8 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in manufacturing roles at Muon Space.
- Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing
- Quality Engineer, Electrical · Quality
- Quality Engineer, Mechanical · Quality
- Director, Manufacturing Architecture · Manufacturing · Director+
- Manufacturing Engineer II, Testbeds & EGSE · Manufacturing
- Engineering Manager, Mission Electrical · Reliability · Manager
Full description from Muon SpaceAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Lead, mentor, and grow the avionics design team along with planning resourcing across concurrent development efforts and hire as the team scales
- ◆Own delivery of Muon's core avionics - flight computers, power systems and batteries, ADCS controllers, and related electronics - from architecture through design, qualification, and production support
- ◆Drive the avionics roadmap: improve performance, reliability, cost, and manufacturability, and maximize standardization and reuse across satellite platforms
- ◆Stay hands-on: contribute to architecture definition, review schematics and layouts, and support bring-up and debug alongside the team
- ◆Set and uphold electrical design standards — design reviews, derating and worst-case analysis, documentation, and ECO/DCO discipline
- ◆Own avionics qualification and test strategies, partnering with Hardware Reliability & Test to ensure consistent qualification across products
- ◆Partner with embedded software, mechanical, thermal, systems, and production teams to ensure successful hardware/software integration and manufacturability
- ◆Invest in developing engineers through coaching, design feedback, and growth planning
Required Qualifications
- ✓8+ years of experience designing complex, high-reliability electronics that operate in harsh environments (spacecraft, aviation, automotive, robotics, or similar)
- ✓2+ years managing or technically leading engineering teams
- ✓Extensive hands-on electrical design experience: architecture, schematic capture, PCB layout, and board bring-up for complex mixed-signal systems
- ✓Deep understanding across avionics domains: embedded processing, power conversion and distribution, battery systems, and control electronics
- ✓Experience taking boards from concept through qualification and production
- ✓Strong grasp of hardware/software integration: microcontrollers and common interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet)
- ✓Excellent leadership, communication, and presentation skills; ability to move fluidly between team leadership and hands-on engineering
- ✓B.S. or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
Requirements
This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
About the rol e
Muon seeks an Engineering Manager to lead the team that designs the core avionics at the heart of every Muon spacecraft - flight computers, power systems and batteries, ADCS controller, and related electronics. Unlike our mission-facing teams, this team is design-focused: architecting, designing, qualifying, and evolving the avionics products that are reused across our satellite platforms and missions.
This is a hands-on management role for a leader with an extensive electrical design background: you'll manage and grow the team while staying deeply engaged technically - driving architecture, reviewing schematics and layouts, and setting the design quality bar.
This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.
Nice-to-have Skills
- •Flight heritage — avionics you designed that has successfully operated in space
- •Experience designing radiation-tolerant electronics using COTS components
- •Experience with power electronics for space applications (batteries, switching converters, load switches)
- •Experience with FPGAs, SoCs, or embedded Linux platforms
- •EMI/EMC design and test experience
- •Test automation and data analysis using Python or similar
Salary
About Muon Space
Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.
Taking Care of Our Team
Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
Muon is currently registered and able to hire in the following states
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA