Fleet Reliability Engineer
Northwood is building a global network of next-generation ground stations, and we’re looking for a Fleet Reliability Engineer who is equal parts technical expert, field operator, and builder. You will be the extreme owner of uptime and performance for our deployed hardware worldwide—leading maintenance, in-field troubleshooting, site upgrades, and global sparing strategies. You’ll partner closely with software orgs to design scalable, automated monitoring and response systems. Some days you’ll be in a remote country diagnosing an antenna issue in the field; other days you’ll be deep in large datasets analyzing network performance and reliability trends. The role spans electrical, mechanical, and software domains, giving you broad technical exposure across the stack. This position is based at our Los Angeles headquarters with frequent travel to sites.
Responsibilities:
- Upgrade, troubleshoot, and maintain a growing network of antennas distributed across the globe. Be the extreme owner of the “fleet” uptime and performance.
- Support the rapid expansion of the network by deploying antennas, power systems, and networking infrastructure at remote and challenging sites around the world.
- Partner closely with product, manufacturing, and test teams to influence designs with a focus on system reliability, maintainability, and long-term lifecycle performance.
- Analyze large-scale system performance data and telemetry to identify trends, failure modes, and opportunities for improvement. Partner with software orgs to build dashboards, alerts, and automation to enable rapid detection and response at scale.
- Lead from the front in the field — executing repairs, upgrades, and validation testing on site, while coordinating effectively with contractors and internal Northwood teams.
- Scale a global maintenance ecosystem, including sparing strategies, standardized procedures, preventative maintenance, and trusted regional maintenance partners.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, aerospace, or related engineering discipline
- Experience building, testing, or diagnosing electrical or mechanical systems.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Ability to work across multiple engineering disciplines and diverse teams.
- Experience reviewing telemetry or large datasets in an operational environment.
- Extreme organization, with strong project management and communication skills.
- Hands-on field experience with proficiency using basic tools.
- Proficiency in 2D or 3D CAD for modeling and/or drawing creation.
- Ability to clearly communicate, track deadlines, and manage complex schedules.
- Willingness to travel to domestic and international ground station sites as required.
- Bonus: Prior experience in failure analysis, product engineering, quality or service in consumer electronics or automotive.
- Bonus: Comfort writing and running code (e.g., Python, SQL, or other scripting languages).
Additional Requirements:
- This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment. While the clearance may not be immediately necessary upon hire, we encourage you to initiate the application process promptly upon accepting this offer. Your ability to secure the necessary clearance is essential for fulfilling key responsibilities of the role. Should you be unable to obtain it, Northwood Space reserves the right to modify or terminate your employment to align with operational needs.
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
Compensation:
Compensation at Northwood Space is based on role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary depending on job-related skills, education, experience, and technical expertise. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Northwood. In addition to base salary, Northwood Space offers long-term incentives such as company stock options and discretionary performance bonuses. Benefits include equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, flexible spending accounts, flexible time off, 10 or more paid holidays per year, retirement savings plans, and opportunities for professional development.