Electrical Engineer (NASA Sounding Rocket Program)

NASA’s Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) is a suborbital spaceflight program located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), part of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). NSROC provides suborbital launch vehicles, payload development, and field operations support to NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, enabling Earth, Heliophysics, and Astrophysics research.

Peraton is seeking an Electrical Engineer – Telemetry to support the NSROC program at Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA.

As an Electrical Engineer – Telemetry, you will support the design, integration, testing, and field operations of sounding rocket telemetry systems throughout the mission life cycle. Responsibilities include mission requirements, PCM data acquisition and encoding, RF telemetry hardware, ground data interfaces, system troubleshooting, and launch support. You will work independently and on multidisciplinary teams supporting multiple missions and projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Produce and present technical material for internal and external customer meetings.
• Develop mission telemetry requirements, measurement lists, and PCM encoder matrices.
• Configure, integrate, and test PCM encoders, data acquisition hardware, RF transmitters, antennas, and ground telemetry checkout equipment.
• Perform system-level troubleshooting using electrical and RF test instrumentation.
• Support telemetry system integration, acceptance testing, launch rehearsals, field operations, and transition to new telemetry hardware and software.
• Participate in technical interchange discussions with customers, experimenters, range personnel, and other engineering disciplines.
• Generate and maintain engineering documentation supporting telemetry system design, test, configuration, and field operations.
• Manage assigned design and development activities; may serve as the lead electrical engineer for sounding rocket missions.

Required Training:

• Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
• Quality Management System (QMS)
• Ordnance Awareness

Travel:

• Approximately 2-3 months per year, including remote launch campaigns that may last 6–8 weeks.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Physics, or another STEM discipline.
• Two or more years of engineering experience with telemetry, instrumentation, data acquisition, RF systems, or related electrical subsystems.
• Experience integrating and troubleshooting electrical components, subsystems, and test equipment. 
• Familiarity with electrical and RF test instrumentation, including:
  • Power supplies
  • Digital multimeters (DMMs)
  • Oscilloscopes
  • Spectrum analyzers
  • Network analyzers
• Ability to understand schematics, technical documentation, and detailed test or operating procedures.
• Must be a US Citizen and the ability to obtain a NASA PIV badge.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering preferred. 
• Hands-on experience with PCM telemetry, encoder configuration, measurement definition, and RF telemetry systems. 
• Experience with RF transmitters, antennas, telemetry signal chains, or spectrum analysis. 
• Experience with Ground Data Systems and networked data acquisition systems. 
• Experience with FPGA/VHDL or embedded digital systems such as microcontrollers, PLDs, or DSPs. 
• Programming or scripting experience using C/C++, C#, MATLAB, Python, or similar engineering tools.
• Experience supporting aerospace, flight test, launch, range, or other field-based mission operations.