Principal Solar Design Engineer

Responsibilities

• Delivery of the solar array electrical and mechanical architecture, system design, and lifecycle performance margins.
• Development of the electrical system performance degradation characterization and modelling across environment variations
• Definition and execution of assembly level acceptance and qualification testing.
• Collaborate with avionics, structures/mechanisms, software, and production teams to define solar system requirements, integrated system qualification/acceptance testing, and on-orbit operations/data review
• Lead design reviews, continually own system deliverables, and drive development schedules with accurate projections looking 12+ months ahead in development timeline
• Collaborate with leadership on staffing plans, role definitions, and recruiting efforts to ensure the solar array team is appropriately staffed to meet system deliverables
• Responsible for the evaluation and selection of manufacturing equipment for specialty processes
• Partner with production to develop work instructions, in-process checkouts, and end-of-line tests that ensure successful builds

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, materials science, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical field
• 8+ years of experience in the design, manufacture, and test of solar arrays for space applications

Nice to Have

• Experience architecting solar array systems for space applications; including initial requirement definition, development testing, design, manufacturing, qualification, and analysis of flight data.
• Background working on multiple solar array systems with variations in cell, module, and system architecture technologies for high-power long-life space applications.
• Experience with AIAA S111/S112, SMC-S-016, NASA-STD-5017, and NASA-STD-4005 for the design and qualification of solar modules, moving mechanism assemblies, and spacecraft charging effects.
• Experience designing solar arrays for resilience to exposure to radiation environments.
• Demonstrated understanding of structural analysis and failure modes of complex mechanical systems in space environments and operations
• Demonstrated understanding of high voltage solar array degradation analysis and failure modes.
• Independent and self-motivated mindset, with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills across disciplines

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary range for this role is $175,000 - $200,000 + equity in the company

Salary and level will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level

Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks