Electronics Engineer, IS-0855-15

About the role

The position serves as a senior Electronics Engineer providing authoritative technical leadership, program direction, and expert-level engineering judgment for extraordinarily complex, mission-critical electronic systems. The incumbent is recognized as a national expert whose work directly influences agency-wide engineering policy, long-term technology strategy, and high-visibility programs with multi-year funding and interagency impact.

Responsibilities

• Uses broad knowledge of state-of-the-art to conceive, plan, and execute complex and varied assignments in the electrical engineering required to develop innovative instrumentation for astrophysical and astronomical data collection, as well as for its associated test, calibration, and other ground support equipment.
• Conceives, designs, and oversees development of complex state-of-the-art electrical/electronic systems, subsystems, modules, and components.
• Provides technical consultation to CfA scientists and other engineering staff in instrument electrical design.
• Analyzes scientific data collection requirements, translates these requirements into instrument performance characteristics, and develops instrument concepts and preliminary systems diagrams.
• Performs critical trade-off analyses of various design implementations.
• Makes and documents recommendations for optimum methods considering both known and anticipated operating environments.
• Evaluates manufacturers’ performance capability data for discrete, hybrid, and integrated circuitry, components, and systems.
• Incorporates analysis results into design decisions.
• Prepares cost and schedule estimates for hardware design, fabrication, test, and calibration, including supporting documentation.
• Extensive documents work in technical memoranda, reports, test plans, procedures, and presentations.
• Defends proposals from the funding agency and/or scientific peer review panels in support of the Principal Investigator.
• Troubleshoots and analyzes complex technical problems encountered on CE projects, identifies and recommends solutions, and oversees their implementation.
• From conceptual design through project completion, it provides leadership in design, analysis, and documentation.
• Maintains a technical overview of the project in process and has ultimate responsibility for the design and test integrity of the contract or project end item.
• Chooses appropriate technologies, establishes technical priorities, and performs conceptual, systems level, and detail design.
• Prepares cost estimates, schedules, plans, technical reports, and engineering input to project proposals; supervises engineers, designers, and technicians assigned to the project; and maintains engineering budgets and schedules.
• Provides technical leadership and direction to, and liaison with, hardware contractors and sub-contractors as required.
• Investigates, selects, justifies, and oversees procurement of critical electrical, electro-optical, and servo-mechanical components used in astrophysical instrumentation and its development.
• Makes both oral and written presentations to project scientists and technical representatives of contracting agencies and cooperating or affiliated organizations: Either singly or in collaboration with project scientists and other engineers, may author technical papers recording innovative design techniques and criteria, and present papers to technical symposia in the specialty field.
• Travel, both domestically and internationally, to telescope sites, vendor facilities, NASA centers, and the facilities of other associated organizations in support of proposal, design, calibration, test, integration, and mission operations activities.

Major Duties

• Advanced Systems Engineering & Architecture: Leads the design, development, and validation of complex electronic systems requiring integration of RF, digital, analog, embedded, and communication subsystems. Establishes system architecture, performance requirements, interface specifications, and verification strategies for multi-platform, multi-agency systems. Provides authoritative technical determinations on feasibility, risk, and long-term engineering direction.
• Research, Innovation & Technical Authority: Conduct and directs advanced engineering research to solve unprecedented technical challenges. Develops new methodologies, models, algorithms, and analytical tools that shape agency engineering standards. Serves as a recognized subject-matter expert providing authoritative interpretations of engineering policy, standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Program Leadership & Strategic Planning: Leads major engineering programs with multi-million-dollar budgets and long-term strategic significance. Advises senior leadership on technology investment, acquisition strategy, and engineering risk posture. Represents the agency in interagency, international, and industry forums.
• Oversight, Review & Quality Assurance: Conducts high-level technical reviews of engineering designs, test plans, failure analyses, and contractor deliverables. Establishes quality assurance criteria and ensures compliance with engineering standards, safety requirements, and mission objectives. Provides final technical approval for critical system changes.
• Mentoring, Collaboration & Knowledge Transfer: Mentors junior engineers, provide expert consultation, and lead technical working groups. Develops training materials, engineering guidance, and best-practice documentation. Facilitates collaboration across engineering disciplines, programs, and external partners.

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements: Degree in professional engineering or combination of education and experience.
• Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience at or above the grade 14 level in similar positions.