Principal Avionics Responsible Engineer
Own the avionics stack on a next-generation reusable spacecraft. Technical authority from architecture through flight qualification. Auckland-based,
- Design authority over the full spacecraft avionics system
- 10+ years experience required. ou've taken hardware from concept to orbit.
- Newton moves fast. Small team, real ownership.
Principal Avionics Responsible Engineer
Newton | Auckland, New Zealand | Permanent, Full-time
Salary: NZD $130,000 - $160,000 per annum
Applications managed by Sprout People on behalf of Newton
Newton builds reusable satellite platforms and secure payload return systems. The mission is to make the orbital economy commercially viable by developing hardware that other companies haven't been willing to build.
It's a small team. The technology is genuinely hard. And the pace is faster than most aerospace environments you'll have worked in.
The Role
Newton is hiring a Principal Avionics Responsible Engineer to own the full avionics stack on a next-generation spacecraft.
The title means something here. A Responsible Engineer at Newton carries design authority from architecture definition through to flight qualification, and stays as the subject matter expert once hardware moves into production. You're not handing off to a test team. You're not feeding requirements into someone else's architecture. You're building the thing.
This is a senior individual contributor role with real technical authority. If you've spent time in large organisations waiting for sign-off cycles to move, this will feel different.
What You'll Own
Avionics system architecture
The minimum bar is 10 to 12 years of hands-on avionics engineering, with flight-qualified hardware that you personally took from architecture through qualification. Launch vehicles, spacecraft, or equivalent high-performance systems.
Beyond that, Newton is looking for someone who is genuinely practical. You know which problems deserve perfectionism and which ones need a working solution by Thursday. You've killed your own ideas when a better one came along, and you've defended the right ones under pressure.
This role is based in Auckland, New Zealand. Candidates must be eligible to work in New Zealand.
Due to the nature of Newton's technology, all candidates will be asked about prior exposure to export-controlled programmes as part of the screening process. This is standard practice for the sector and does not preclude consideration.
How to Apply
This search is being run exclusively by Sprout People on behalf of Newton.
To be considered, apply below, send your CV and answer our question below on the most technically complex avionics system you've personally owned, from architecture through to qualification. Tell us what it was, what you decided, and what happened.
Contact: sam@sproutpeople.co
Newton | Auckland, New Zealand | Permanent, Full-time
Salary: NZD $130,000 - $160,000 per annum
Applications managed by Sprout People on behalf of Newton
Newton builds reusable satellite platforms and secure payload return systems. The mission is to make the orbital economy commercially viable by developing hardware that other companies haven't been willing to build.
It's a small team. The technology is genuinely hard. And the pace is faster than most aerospace environments you'll have worked in.
The Role
Newton is hiring a Principal Avionics Responsible Engineer to own the full avionics stack on a next-generation spacecraft.
The title means something here. A Responsible Engineer at Newton carries design authority from architecture definition through to flight qualification, and stays as the subject matter expert once hardware moves into production. You're not handing off to a test team. You're not feeding requirements into someone else's architecture. You're building the thing.
This is a senior individual contributor role with real technical authority. If you've spent time in large organisations waiting for sign-off cycles to move, this will feel different.
What You'll Own
Avionics system architecture
- Define and lead the full spacecraft avionics architecture: power management, compute, communications, sensors, data handling, and flight-critical electronics.
- Own power and data budgets with the margins to back them up.
- Write the ICDs. Define the protocols. Specify the functional allocations across subsystems.
- Set hardware requirements for processors, radios, power converters, harnessing, and sensors.
- Lead make-vs-buy analysis. Make the call.
- Take avionics hardware from design through prototyping, benchtop testing, and full environmental qualification.
- Own the trade-offs between performance, mass, cost, and manufacturability simultaneously.
- Write the test plans. Build the automated test setups. Run the campaigns yourself.
- Own verification from simulation through hardware-in-the-loop to flight readiness.
- Work directly with propulsion, mechanical, software, GNC, and manufacturing teams.
- When something goes wrong in production, you're the decision-maker for your subsystem.
- Mentor the broader engineering team by doing good work yourself first.
The minimum bar is 10 to 12 years of hands-on avionics engineering, with flight-qualified hardware that you personally took from architecture through qualification. Launch vehicles, spacecraft, or equivalent high-performance systems.
Beyond that, Newton is looking for someone who is genuinely practical. You know which problems deserve perfectionism and which ones need a working solution by Thursday. You've killed your own ideas when a better one came along, and you've defended the right ones under pressure.
- Tertiary qualification in Electrical or Mechatronics Engineering or similar.
- Strong electronics design skills and the bench experience to back them up.
- Python scripting and familiarity with data acquisition tools.
- Comfortable with extreme ownership and not much bureaucracy.
- Experience with in-space manufacturing, re-entry systems, or microgravity payloads.
- Hands-on prototyping or test-stand experience outside a formal lab environment.
- Experience with dynamic mechanical systems.
This role is based in Auckland, New Zealand. Candidates must be eligible to work in New Zealand.
Due to the nature of Newton's technology, all candidates will be asked about prior exposure to export-controlled programmes as part of the screening process. This is standard practice for the sector and does not preclude consideration.
How to Apply
This search is being run exclusively by Sprout People on behalf of Newton.
To be considered, apply below, send your CV and answer our question below on the most technically complex avionics system you've personally owned, from architecture through to qualification. Tell us what it was, what you decided, and what happened.
Contact: sam@sproutpeople.co