Hardware Engineering
Hardware Engineer
Full-time
Akilaris was founded on the belief that the orbital economy only works if space stays safe. We build AI-powered space intelligence and collision avoidance that lets satellite operators act in minutes, not days. Joining Akilaris means joining a small, fast team in Bremen, Europe’s City of Space, where your work ships to real operators and directly protects real assets in orbit.
Autonomy in orbit needs compute in orbit. As Hardware Engineer you design, build and test the on-board processing hardware, from embedded platforms and FPGA designs to environmental test campaigns, that will let spacecraft assess conjunctions and act autonomously.
Responsibilities
- Design and prototype on-board processing hardware for small-satellite payloads (schematic, layout, bring-up)
- Develop FPGA designs and embedded software for sensor data processing and autonomy workloads
- Define and run environmental and reliability test campaigns (thermal, vibration, radiation assessment)
- Investigate hardware failures to root cause and drive corrective actions
- Select components with radiation tolerance, power and cost constraints in mind
- Work with AI engineering to map inference workloads onto flight-representative hardware
- Own documentation to space-project standards (ECSS-informed, pragmatic)
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, mechatronics or related discipline
- 1+ years of experience in hardware development, test, analysis or manufacturing (internships and substantial projects count)
- Hands-on experience with embedded systems (MCUs/SoCs) and lab equipment
Preferred Skills and Experience
- FPGA development (VHDL/Verilog, Xilinx/AMD or Microchip toolchains)
- PCB design (Altium, KiCad) and mixed-signal debugging
- Programming in C/C++ and Python with an emphasis on test automation and data analysis
- Knowledge of radiation effects (TID, SEE) and mitigation techniques
- Experience from fast-paced iterative hardware environments, aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics
- Familiarity with RTOS, CCSDS or satellite bus interfaces (CAN, SpaceWire)
Additional Requirements
- Willingness to work on-site in Bremen for lab and test phases
- Availability for occasional extended hours around test campaigns and delivery milestones
- Ability to lift 10 kg of test equipment unassisted
- Some of our work touches dual-use technology governed by EU export-control regulations; candidates must be able to comply with applicable EU export-control requirements.
What We Offer
- Direct impact: your work ships to production and is used by real satellite operators
- Work side by side with the founders: short paths, fast decisions, real ownership
- Flexible hours built around lectures and exam phases (for student roles)
- Office in Bremen, Europe’s City of Space, in the heart of a dense aerospace ecosystem, with hybrid options
- A high-trust, high-velocity culture: we iterate like a launch company, not a corporation
- Clear growth path: many student roles convert into permanent positions
How to Apply
No forms, no portals. Email your CV together with a cover letter or a portfolio (projects, GitHub, publications, whatever shows your work best) to info@akilaris.com with the subject line “Application: Hardware Engineer”. Tell us in a few sentences why this mission matters to you.
Location
Bremen, Germany, On-site (lab work), hybrid for design phases.
info@akilaris.com
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We reply to every serious application.