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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 both.

Pixxel’s team is young but deeply mission-aligned, with a culture rooted in curiosity, speed, and long-term thinking. As the company grows its constellation and expands Aurora, the focus remains on making space-based insights practical, scalable, and genuinely helpful so that the health of the planet becomes measurable and action becomes possible.

Pixxel was the only Indian startup selected for the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator in Los Angeles and has been recognised in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and Via Satellite’s Top Innovators list.

For more information, see our Careers page or follow Pixxel on LinkedIn and X/Twitter.

Culture

Pixxel is an organization where we enable our employees to work on world-changing problems that they are passionate about, and a place where they can be their best selves day in and day out while ensuring they have fun every day.

Central to our employee-first ethos is a commitment to ensuring that every team member feels valued and heard. We nurture a healthy and supportive work environment where we prioritise well-being and growth in all aspects of life

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