---
title: 'Senior Electronics Engineer at Phenix Space at Cox Exponential'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electronics-engineer-at-phenix-space-cox-exponential-san-francisco-816kny6zf5r0'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-09'
---

# Senior Electronics Engineer at Phenix Space at Cox Exponential

- **Company:** Cox Exponential
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-20
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-09
- **Apply:** https://jobs.gem.com/cox-exponential/am9icG9zdDqo1_C4VDkeRBx0ReAlPZtx

## Job description

## About the role

Phenix Space is a venture-backed startup building the upgradeable space layer for Earth’s critical industries. Satellites have been built the same way for more than 60 years. Launch has had its revolution and we can get mass to orbit, but once a satellite is up we are still stuck with it: we cannot refresh constellations, reconstitute lost capability or make any change. Humans, with some help from robotics, have done this on Hubble and the ISS. We see a world where changing what is in orbit is autonomous and available at scale, and we are building the robotic systems and standard interface to make it happen. Phenix Space enables evolution in orbit.

We are hiring a hands-on electrical engineer to own avionics hardware for our systems, from architecture through schematic, layout, bring-up, integration and flight. You will work directly with our electronics, robotics, software and GNC engineers.

## What you will own

Hardware development

- Avionics hardware through its full lifecycle: architecture, schematic capture, layout review, bring-up and flight support.
- Taking designs from early prototypes to space-ready hardware that is robust and scales.
- Flight computer architecture: choosing processors, safety microcontrollers and redundancy by weighing performance, power, radiation tolerance, cost and schedule.
- Designing for LEO, MEO and GEO environments.
- Supporting actuator and sensor electronics: motor drives, sensors, cameras and lidar.
- Building safety systems into all our products.
- Interface electronics that carry power and high-speed data through connectors mated and demated on orbit.
- Power architecture for peak loads: protection, filtering, battery and load management.

Integration and embedded systems

- Leading avionics architecture decisions and owning the interfaces with mechanical, robotics, propulsion and software.
- Some embedded firmware for bring-up and test, working with our software engineers who own the larger code base.
- Buses such as EtherCAT, CAN-FD, SPI, I2C and RS-485.
- Board bring-up at the bench, drivers, bootloaders and health monitoring.
- Fast board prototyping to get new projects off the ground.

Testing and space readiness

- In-house environmental testing for fast design iteration.
- Environmental and reliability testing (thermal, vacuum, vibration, radiation) with our test partners, and iterating designs on the results.
- Component selection for space environments, and design for test, reliability and manufacturing.

Suppliers

- Working with vendors and manufacturing partners to source high-reliability electronics, actuators and sensors, and to take designs to flight-ready hardware.

## What you bring

- B.S., M.S. or PhD in electrical engineering, mechatronics, computer or aerospace engineering, or equivalent experience.
- 3+ years owning electrical or avionics hardware through its full lifecycle, in spacecraft, robotics, automotive, defense or similar.
- Schematic capture and PCB design and review for complex digital, mixed-signal and power boards.
- Enough embedded C/C++ to write bring-up and test firmware, plus Python.
- You make and explain hardware trade-offs: performance against power, mass, radiation tolerance, cost and schedule.
- U.S. person status, either Citizen or Green Card holder for export control.

## Nice to have

- Low-level buses such as EtherCAT, CAN, SPI, I2C and UART.
- Familiarity with actuation: motors, drives and the electronics around them.
- Deep embedded experience: real-time firmware, drivers and hardware abstraction layers.
- Flight hardware that launched, satellite bus integration or in-space robotics.
- Radiation-tolerant design: shielding, radiation-hardened processors and parts, and testing for extreme environments.
- Motors in space: thermal and radiation considerations.
- Electronics for AI compute: edge accelerators and their power and thermal demands.
- FPGA or ASIC design.
- Thermal analysis of electronics and boards.
- Mechanical design for space systems.

## Why join us

- Revolutionize space infrastructure the way reusable launch revolutionized access to space. We are building the next layer: one that makes today’s space applications orders of magnitude better and brings new ones to orbit.
- Your work will fly to space within your first year at Phenix.
- You will set the avionics architecture we fly for years.
- Join a multidisciplinary team from Dexterity, NASA JPL, SpaceX, Nimble, Boeing, Honeywell Space and Capella Space, among others, that executes with discipline, keeps evolving our capabilities and makes progress toward our vision every day.
- Build a space robotics system that has never flown before.
- Own wide-ranging work across hardware, software and test, with room to grow into a technical leader.
- Move fast on problems in actuation, space-rated computing and autonomy.

## About Cox Exponential

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Cox Exponential (CX2) is the early-stage AI venture vehicle for Cox Enterprises, partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs to build breakthrough AI/ML companies.
- **Entity Type**: Private (venture capital / accelerator; part of Cox Enterprises)
- **Headquarters**: Silicon Valley, California, United States (with remote presence and an international outlook)
- **Founded**: 2025
- **Founders**: Founded by technologists with decades of experience leading startups and building AI/ML products; key executives include Managing Partner Radu B. Rusu, General Partners Pantelis Kalogiros, Yukiko Jenkins, and others.

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Venture Capital & Private Equity (AI-focused early-stage investing)
- **Target customers**: B2B – exceptional entrepreneurs and early-stage AI companies seeking capital, mentorship, and access to the Cox family of businesses.
- **Mission**: Develop breakthrough technology that helps people flourish and bring firsts to market.

## Products & Services
Cox Exponential does not sell a product; it operates as an investment vehicle. Its main “offering” is its accelerator program and venture partnership:
- **AI Accelerator & Venture Program**: Provides capital, technical mentorship, business planning, code/prototype development, and connection to the Cox Enterprises ecosystem.
- **Portfolio Support**: Invests in and supports portfolio companies such as Spacer Robotics (autonomous rebar-tying robot), TrustMind, TrustFoundry.ai, and others.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Funding**: Not publicly disclosed (backed by Cox Enterprises, a large private conglomerate).
- **Key Metric**: Total employees ~20 (as of mid-2026); headcount grew ~144% year-over-year since founding in 2025.
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Cox Enterprises (parent); key executives from Scale Venture Partners, Fyusion, AGI House, etc.
- **Growth Signals**: Rapid team expansion, active hiring for senior engineering roles (AI infra, robotics, efficient ML), multiple open remote positions.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Cox Enterprises Backing**: Access to the breadth of a Fortune 500 company’s resources, industry connections, and potential pilot customers.
- **Founder-Led by Technologists**: The team comprises experienced AI/ML startup builders, offering hands-on technical guidance to portfolio companies.
- **Global Outlook**: Based in Silicon Valley with an international perspective, attracting talent from the US and Portugal.
- **Early-Stage Focus**: Dedicated to pre-seed and seed AI startups, differentiating from larger, less specialized corporate venture arms.

## Strategic Focus
- **Current priorities**: Scaling the accelerator, expanding portfolio companies, and building in-house AI infrastructure talent to support portfolio needs.
- **Direction for growth**: Deepening ties with Cox business units, investing in frontier AI (LLMs, multimodal models, agentic RL, robotics), and hiring top-tier engineers to work on internal AI platforms and portfolio support.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Early-stage, high-autonomy environment within a stable corporate parent. Employees work on cutting-edge AI challenges across multiple portfolio companies.
- **Remote/Hybrid**: Fully remote workspaces for many roles; some positions require in-office presence in San Francisco (e.g., robotics roles). The company has 8 locations but emphasizes remote flexibility.
- **Notable Perks**: Opportunity to work on diverse AI/ML projects (LLMs, robotics, efficient ML systems), exposure to multiple startups, and a flat hierarchy with direct access to experienced partners.
- **Engineering Culture**: Strong emphasis on technical excellence, with open roles for Founding Engineer (AI Infra), Research Scientist (Efficient ML), Robotics Software Engineer, and Systems Engineer.

## Sources
1. [LinkedIn – Exponential by Cox](https://linkedin.com/company/exponential-by-cox)
2. [Built In – Cox Exponential](https://builtin.com/company/cox-exponential)
3. [Built In – Cox Exponential Jobs](https://builtin.com/company/cox-exponential/jobs)
4. [The Org – Cox Exponential (CX2)](https://theorg.com/org/cox-exponential-cx2)
5. [RemoteFront – Remote Jobs at Cox Exponential](https://www.remotefront.com/companies/Cox%20Exponential)

## Other roles at Cox Exponential

- [Senior Electrical Engineer at Arn Autonomy](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-engineer-at-arn-autonomy-cox-exponential-south-san-francisco-ff22xw356r2v) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Founding Engineer at HeaviAI](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-engineer-at-heaviai-cox-exponential-san-francisco-pqh153fad7pv) — San Francisco, CA
- [Founding Software Engineer, Platform & Infrastructure - DeepFrame - at Infinimind](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-software-engineer-platform-infrastructure-deepframe-at-infinimind-cox-n4e5z9ejsdre) — San Francisco, CA
- [Technician (Motor Production) at Motr Technologies](https://feeny.ai/job/technician-motor-production-at-motr-technologies-cox-exponential-dallas-forth-z87h92z2zre5) — Dallas-Forth Worth, TX
- [Space Robotics Software Engineer at Phenix Space](https://feeny.ai/job/space-robotics-software-engineer-at-phenix-space-cox-exponential-san-francisco-g3ey6xqqzkhk) — San Francisco, CA
- [Founding GTM Lead at Infinimind](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-gtm-lead-at-infinimind-cox-exponential-san-francisco-g0ey652g0ngz) — San Francisco, CA
- [Technical Program Manager at ART Lab](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-at-art-lab-cox-exponential-san-mateo-t8dxrg1z17te) — San Mateo, CA
- [Platform Engineer for Embedded Development at ART Lab](https://feeny.ai/job/platform-engineer-for-embedded-development-at-art-lab-cox-exponential-san-mateo-4pf4zr261h8f) — San Mateo, CA
- [Founding Engineer, AI Infra](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-engineer-ai-infra-cox-exponential-san-francisco-bay-area-fx5arytyxdwv) — San Francisco Bay Area, CA