Engineer Electrical Level 4 - Power Subsystems - Dulles

About the role

The Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS) team for Northrop Grumman Space System's Defense and National Security operations team is seeking an engineer specializing in space environment solar array design.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and verify mechanical and electrical requirements for specifications for space environment solar array wings and release mechanisms
• Perform component trade studies and recommend technical solutions
• Perform space environment solar array power estimates, degradation analysis, and create IV curves
• Develop and execute mechanical and electrical design concepts for space environment solar array wings
• Ensure compliance with all electrical, mechanical, structural, and thermal design requirements through rigorous review and analysis
• Mentor and guide engineering teams across multiple disciplines to achieve program objectives
• Direct design reviews and participate in component and program level risk assessment and mitigation activities
• Review and approve mechanical drawings, documentation, and test fixtures
• Collaborate with procurement and outside NGSC vendors to source assemblies, materials, and components in alignment with project goals
• Provide technical leadership in solar array integration, testing, and validation processes
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives and implementation of best practices in electromechanical design for solar arrays across various product lines and solar array design architectures

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or related field with typically 5+ years of relevant experience or equivalent advanced degree and experience
• Expertise in electromechanical system design, specific to space environment solar arrays, including mechanical, structural, thermal, and power analysis
• Proven ability to interpret higher spacecraft bus / subsystem level requirements and develop complex lower solar array/unit level mechanical and electrical requirements and define or validate design strategies to align to requirements
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• U.S. Citizenship required

Qualifications

• Specific experience in space environment solar array electromechanical design, integration, analyses, requirement verification, and testing within aerospace or space sectors
• Exposure and understanding of common space environment solar array design and qualification industry standards/handbooks such as AIAA-S-111, AIAA-S-112, AIAA-S-122, NASA-CR-149364, and/or ECSS-E-ST-20-08C
• Understanding of typical mechanical analyses and methodologies used in space environment deployable solar array designs including latch force calculations, torque margins, boom push force assessments, motor drive and gear head sizing, deployment dynamics, mechanical stress and thermal analyses, modal analyses, quasi-static analyses, and Hold-Down-Release-Mechanism pre-loading calculations
• Understanding of typical electrical power analyses and methodologies used in space environment solar array sizing and performance degradation assessments including typical solar array loss factors, mission life, seasonal effects, radiation effects, thermal cycling effects, and shadowing/attenuation effects
• Understanding of typical considerations for electrical grounding and ground paths for space environment solar array design, including both deployable and body mounted solar array, and mitigations for solar array surface charging and ESD risks
• Understanding of typical derating requirements for electrical components including harnessing, connectors, diodes, thermistors, Platinum Resistance Thermometers (PRTs), using common industry standards such as EEE-INST-002
• Understanding of typical space environment solar array testing philosophies and common practices such as Large Array Pulse Solar Simulations (LAPSS), Forward Bias Visual Inspection / Electroluminescence (FBVI / EL), deployment testing considerations, ambient pressure thermal cycling (TC) and thermal vacuum cycling (TVAC) and bakeouts, and acoustics testing
• General exposure / familiarity with higher level Electrical Power Subsystems (EPS) and other components that typically interface to space rated solar arrays e.g., Solar Array Drive Assemblies (SADAs) and Power Distribution Avionics
• General exposure / familiarity with leading space industry photovoltaic technologies
• Demonstrated success interfacing with multi-disciplinary teams in fast-paced, high-demand environments

Skills

• Strong leadership skills
• Customer service experience
• Vendor interfacing experience
• Budget management
• Strong self-initiated work ethic

Benefits

• Relocation assistance may be available
• CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No
• CLEARANCE TYPE: None
• TRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the Time

Pay

Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00

Schedule

This position is a 9/80 schedule but could require some night/weekend shift work and periodic domestic and international travel.