What are the responsibilities and job description for the Electrical Engineering Co-op - Fall 2025 position at Specter Aerospace?
Electrical Engineering Co-op Fall 2025
Job Summary:
Specter Aerospace is seeking an Electrical Engineer Co-op (5 month cycle) to be a primary contributor to the development of various systems across the electrical engineering discipline. This position will contribute to the development of avionic, ignition, and control systems relating to the delivery of a hypersonic flight vehicle. You will be a part of a rapidly growing team and will have the opportunity to experience many areas across the electrical engineering discipline.
About Specter Aerospace:
Specter Aerospace is building the next generation of hypersonic vehicles for defense and commercial applications. Specter is headquartered in Peabody, MA, just north of Boston, where it leverages its advanced propulsion technologies, manufacturing, and testing capabilities to rapidly develop supersonic and hypersonic systems. Funded by a mix of government R&D organizations, commercial customers, and private funding, Specter is a growing aerospace and defense startup. Close relationships with MIT, Notre Dame, AFRL, NRL, ANL, and other research organizations provide access to cutting-edge developments, facilities, and personnel. Specter is expanding its team in preparation for flight testing and full-scale production.
Role & Responsibilities:
- Work in a rapidly growing startup developing plasma-assisted combustion technologies
- Develop custom electrical and embedded systems required for hypersonic flight vehicles
- Take ownership of research, design, fabrication, and test of systems throughout the company
- Interface with electrical, GNC, and mechanical teams to refine requirements, define technical scope, and ensure complete system functionality and scalability
- Fabricate custom electrical systems and hardware to support current experimental needs
- Develop testing protocols to conduct shakedowns, debug, and validate designs
- Participate in technical meetings, engage in technical discussions, and contribute perspectives
Job Requirements:
- Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a similar field
- Comfortable with the application of circuit theory to analyze and design electrical systems
- Experience with ECAD tools such as Altium, KiCAD, OrCAD, etc
- Experience with electrical circuit simulation packages such as SPICE, PLECS, or Simulink
- Experience completing bring-up and test of custom PCBs and other electrical systems
- Comfortable hand assembling and reworking PCBs with small and/or complex components
- Ability to interpret existing circuit schematics and generate supporting documentation
- Proficient with lab equipment such as function generators, oscilloscopes, and signal analyzers
- Comfort with project autonomy and fast-paced work environments
- Strong collaborative skills and a drive to produce quality work
- Ability to obtain a DoD security clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)
Desired Skills:
- Previous relevant professional OR student team (FSAE, SEDS, AIAA, etc) project experience
- Familiarity with relevant programming languages such as Python, Rust, C, or C
- Fluency with ECAD/PCB design tools (Altium Designer preferred) and circuit simulation
- Experience with CAD software (SolidWorks preferred)
- High-level theoretical understanding of electric fields, magnetism, and gas discharges (plasmas)
- Practical understanding of semiconductor devices, filtering, impedance matching, etc
- Prior work with high-voltage/power electronics design and safety principles
