Mechanisms Engineer (III or Senior), Motor Control

Responsibilities

• Design and develop motor drive electronics for brushless DC and stepper motor systems, including gate driver circuits, current sensing, power stage design, and EMI mitigation
• Develop and implement embedded firmware for closed-loop motor control, including FOC/BLDC commutation algorithms, PID and advanced control loops, and fault detection and handling
• Perform motor and drive system characterization, including torque-speed profiling, efficiency mapping, and thermal analysis
• Collaborate closely with the GNC team to develop and validate closed-loop pointing, stabilization, and tracking control for precision actuation applications
• Define and execute motor drive hardware bring-up, integration, and qualification test campaigns
• Support system-level integration of motor control electronics and firmware with spacecraft avionics and flight software
• Develop and maintain design documentation including schematics, firmware architecture, test plans, and analysis reports
• Contribute to component selection, trade studies, and design reviews across the mechanisms product portfolio
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to continuous improvement of mechanisms engineering processes and practices

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred)
• 5+ years of professional experience in motor control system design, with demonstrated depth in both drive electronics hardware and embedded firmware
• Experience with brushless DC and/or stepper motor drive circuit design, including power stage, gate driver, and current sensing topologies
• Experience implementing closed-loop motor control algorithms including FOC, BLDC commutation, and PID-based servo control in embedded firmware
• Proficiency in embedded C or C++ for real-time motor control applications
• Familiarity with common embedded communication interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN) and their application in motor drive systems
• Experience with hardware bring-up, debug, and characterization using lab test equipment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Experience with space-qualified or high-reliability motor drive electronics for vacuum and radiation environments
• Familiarity with precision pointing or tracking system requirements and GNC interface design
• Experience with motor control using DSPs, FPGAs, or microcontrollers (STM32, TI C2000, or similar)
• Knowledge of magnetic bearing or brushless motor design and winding analysis
• Experience with thermal analysis and thermal management of power electronics in SWaP-constrained designs
• Familiarity with applicable aerospace standards (MIL-STD-704, MIL-STD-461, EEE-INST-002)