Avionics architect

By joining Alpha Impulsion as an avionics architect in the Toulouse office, you will play a key role in the development of AMBER, Alpha Impulsion's small scale autophage demonstrator for suborbital flight and GARNET, Alpha Impulsion's future launch vehicle.

Reporting to the Chief Product Officer, you will lead the developement of our flight systems, dealing with topics of data acquisition, telemetry, tracking, GNC and system functionnality. You will lead the exchange between the avionics team (hardware/power and software), propulsion team, and Alpha Impulsion's partners in Spain, Italy and the UK. The avionics developed with AMBER will act as a precursor to the systems used on GARNET.

You will embark on a young project, with the opportunity to build it from start to qualification and exploitation.

Your first project here

Alpha Impulsion is developing a small-scale engine for its demonstrator AMBER. Its goal is to derisk at small scale technologies to be used in the future GARNET engine for launch vehicles. The results of this demonstration might change the way mini launchers are built, demonstrating performance up to twice that of current propulsion technologies.

Your key responsibilities

As part of your missions, you will be entrusted with the following responsibilities:

• Define the overall avionics architecture and ensure adequate system’s integration in AMBER, taking into account power, frequency, thermal and volume constraints defined with the rest of the System Engineering team.

• Lead procurement of avionics subsystems. Build supplier partnerships and manage supply, logisitics, acceptance and testing.

• Lead the design of the propulsion system avionics. This includes the Engine Control Unit, the Electrical Power System and the data acquisition system. These systems will be tested first during engine hot-fire tests.

• Lead the design of AMBER avionics, with a focus on data acquisition, tracking, telemetry, command, as well as flight systems sequencing (recovery, engine command) and interfaces with the ground segment.

• Contribute to the architecture of the real-time control software of AMBER’s ECU, which includes the ignition sequence, thrust control and modulation, data processing, and emergency safety procedures.

• Contribute to the architecture of AMBER’s critical ground & flight software, which includes ground operations (filling, purge, checks), recovery, TT&C (launch abort, flight termination system, passivation).

• Participate in test definition, representing the avionics subsystem (acceptance, subsystem preliminary tests, firing tests, launch), and ensure that the tests are built for requirements validation.

• Manage a growing avionics team through the design and qualification of our products.

What we would appreciate most

Required education, experience and skills

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Aerospace or equivalent.

• At least three years of experience on Tracking, Telemetry & Command of on-board subsystems (hardware, software, RF), and applied knowledge of ground segment systems.

• Experience in embedded systems design, including real-time systems (deterministic behaviour, fault tolerance, redundancy), control theory (feedback loops), data processing (acquisition, sensors data retrieval & processing).

• Experience in systems architecture definition and risk assessement methodologies.

• Demonstrated leadership skills, with previous experience managing a team and ability to report in traceable technical documentation.

• Comfortable with a startup environment and Agile frameworks.

• Professional English required.

Would be a plus

• Previous experience on a launcher or defense system.

• Applied knowledge of electromagnetic compatibility, or EM warfare (including GNSS denial or spoofing).

• Culture of embedded systems security and cybersecurity.

• Experience in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), especially the ARCADIA method.

• Experience in C development toolchain for embedded systems/bare metal (time-sensitive or safety-critical).

• Italian and/or French speaking.

Compensation & advantages

Base salary negotiable based on experience. Additionally, competitive compensation package including meal vouchers, holidays vouchers, 75% public transport reimbursement (versus the usual 50%), sustainable mobility package “Forfait Mobilité Durable”, IT material compensation, team performance bonus. Flexible remote work organisation.

If you thrive on challenge, take on a new one and join the crew.