High Powered Microwave (HPM) Engineer

Job Description

Stellios Technologies is building advanced high power microwave and energy systems for defense, aerospace, and energy.

We are hiring an exceptional High Power Microwave (HPM) Engineer to design, build, test, and scale high power microwave sources, with an initial focus on klystrons and gyrotrons.

This is not a purely theoretical or simulation role. You will work directly with hardware and own major parts of the path from first principles design through fabrication, integration, power testing, failure analysis, and design iteration.

What You Will Own And/Or Support

• RF and beam wave interaction design for klystrons, gyrotrons, and related vacuum electronic devices
  
• Resonant cavities, interaction structures, mode selection, output structures, waveguide components, RF windows, and related microwave hardware
  
• Electron beam transport and electron optics in coordination with electron gun and magnet engineering
  
• Electromagnetic, particle, and multiphysics simulation used to predict device performance before hardware is built
  
• High voltage, high vacuum, and high power RF testing, diagnostics, commissioning, and troubleshooting
  
• Root cause analysis when measured performance does not match simulation or design targets
  
• Mechanical tolerances, materials, thermal constraints, brazing and joining considerations, vacuum compatibility, and design for manufacturability
  
• Technical reviews with internal engineers, external experts, machine shops, vacuum tube manufacturers, and critical component suppliers
  
• Transition of successful prototypes into repeatable production hardware
  

Requirements

You must have one of the following:

• A PhD in physics, applied physics, accelerator science, plasma physics, or a directly relevant field, or
  
• MS in a relevant technical field plus at least 5 years of directly relevant professional experience
  
• Direct klystron or gyrotron experience is strongly preferred, but it is not mandatory. We will consider exceptional engineers who have built adjacent high power, high voltage microwave systems or components, including traveling wave tubes, magnetrons, electron beam systems, accelerators, pulsed RF systems, high power RF sources, or closely related hardware.
  
• You need strong fundamentals in electromagnetics and high power microwave engineering, plus real hardware judgment. We care more about what you have personally designed, built, tested, debugged, and made work than about credentials alone.
  
• You should be comfortable working around high voltage, vacuum systems, RF diagnostics, precision microwave hardware, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
  
• This role requires access to U.S. export controlled information. Candidates must qualify as a U.S. person under applicable export control laws, including U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees.
  
• You must be willing to work on site in New Mexico, Southern California, or Austin.
  

Benefits

• 100% Employer-Paid Health Insurance Premiums
  
• Competitive PTO and paid company holidays
  
• Equity Package with meaningful ownership potential
  
• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience and expertise
  

Requirements
We are looking for: Extreme ownership and attention to detail. You are AI native, your first instinct is to use AI to find the answer and move. You have experience supporting technical founders and ambition to become a founder yourself. You're passionate about space, defense, propulsion, and American progress. Ideal backgrounds include deep tech / defense startup experience, or military team leadership combined with startup experience. You need to be extremely sharp, high agency, and comfortable personally executing both strategic projects and mundane tasks. This includes creating exceptional documents, finding facilities, supporting equipment purchases, and coordinating external legal, accounting, recruiting, HR, web, and PR teams. This role requires access to U.S. export controlled information. Candidates must qualify as a U.S. person under applicable export control laws, including U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees. You must be willing to work on-site in Southern California or Austin, can can start working remotely.