Spaceplane – Avionics Team Lead

We're looking for a hands-on, technically excellent Team Leader to lead the development of mission-critical avionics for our next-generation spaceplane.

This is not your average electronics or leadership role.

You'll lead a hands-on, multi-disciplinary team designing flight-ready hardware that will leave the atmosphere—and come back.

You'll combine technical depth, leadership, and real-world problem solving to take complex electronics from concept through to orbit-capable systems

You don't need to come from aerospace.

What matters is rigorous engineering, leadership with ownership, and a track record of building reliable, high-performance electronics in demanding environments.

What You'll Do

Lead the design and delivery of electronic flight systems—power, compute, comms, sensing—from concept to launch

Own the development and validation of complex PCBs (digital, analogue, mixed-signal, and power electronics)

Build, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of avionics and electronics engineers

Translate system-level requirements into robust, testable hardware architectures

Drive cross-functional collaboration with systems, software, propulsion, mechanical, and flight operations teams

Oversee integration and test of hardware / software systems for mission-readiness

Lead hardware production and support environmental and flight test campaigns

Help define and scale our avionics architecture and engineering practices

About You

You're a systems thinker who thrives on building both people and hardware.

You lead from the front, make bold decisions grounded in engineering logic, and enjoy solving hard problems with a hands-on approach.

What You Bring

BSc+ in Electrical, Computer or Mechatronics Engineering (or equivalent practical experience)

6+ years of experience in electronics or embedded systems design, including in leadership or senior technical roles

Proven ability to lead or mentor engineering teams in a fast-paced, project-driven environment

Excellent communication and documentation skills; ability to clearly articulate design choices and risks

Experience managing technical schedules, budgets, and product delivery

Strong understanding of electronics fundamentals, signal / power integrity, and system trade-offs

Practical experience in the design, layout, and testing of mixed-signal PCB's

Bonus Points For

Proficiency in PCB design tools (Altium, KiCad, Cadence, etc.)

Familiarity with high-reliability standards (DO-254, ECSS, NASA, etc.)

Knowledge of EMC and environmental compliance for aerospace or automotive systems

Strong debugging and test skills (oscilloscopes, logic / network analysers)

Direct experience working on flight hardware or test campaigns

About Us

Dawn Aerospace is developing the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever to take off from a runway, combining the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability of conventional airplanes to enable high-frequency, low-cost access to sub-orbital space.

Our flagship aircraft, the Mk-II Aurora spaceplane, is designed to push the boundaries of aviation into space, providing a scalable and cost-effective platform for microgravity research, atmospheric studies, and aerospace innovation.

In

• , the Aurora spaceplane broke the sound barrier, reaching Mach 1.12 at 82,500 feet, and set a record for the fastest climb to 20 kilometres (65,600 feet).

We're a tight-knit, cross-functional team with a passion for building things that matter.

If you're ready to be part of a bold, hands-on engineering challenge that's changing how space is accessed—let's talk.

And even if you think you have what it takes but are unsure that you check every box, we still want to hear from you.

Please also note that due to our current customer base and the nature of our industry and technology, we are required to conduct background checks that are undertaken for security reasons.

These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that the Employee be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by domestic and foreign regulations.

Under these regulations, an employee may be ineligible for a role in our New Zealand office if they do not hold citizenship of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union or a country that is part of NATO, or if they hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality.

#J-