Power Electronics Engineer

Working for Open Cosmos

Aim high, go beyond! At Open Cosmos we are solving the world’s biggest challenges from space, providing businesses, governments and researchers access to more readily available information than ever before via our satellite platform - ready for the challenge? Then read on…

 

About the Electronics Team

Our Electronics Team is responsible for the design, development, integration and maintenance of the electronics hardware & firmware for the entire satellite. The team utilises the concept of “Product Owners”. Electronics team members are assigned electronic subsystems, of which they are primarily responsible for the development and will be the point of contact for information on that particular sub-system. This is a great opportunity to take ownership of a sub-system that will be flown in space! 

In addition to product ownership, our team works collaboratively to tackle a wide array of technical challenges across the electronics architecture.

Your Role

Your main responsibility will be as product co-owner of the Electronics Power System (EPS). The day-to-day will involve communicating with other departments to advise and contribute to technical problems and work toward solutions. 

You will be collaborating with the Electronics Team to advise on power electronics design best practice as we continue to develop our EPS capabilities. Building on your previous experience you will lead and advise on the following areas:

• High efficiency power conversion
• Increase power handling and distribution
• Thermal management within a vacuum environment
• Developing the next generation of EPS for higher power handling and scalability
• Ensuring radiation tolerance and design reliability
• Advising on power electronics design principles, building on experience
• Energy storage & BMS design
• Microcontroller firmware programming
• Design for manufacture & testability

In addition to the above, members of the Electronics Team are required to assist with practical fault finding, testing, and debugging of satellite systems on-site during integration and testing phases.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise on design and implementation of power electronics hardware during the development of the next generation of the EPS.
• Define hardware requirements by interpreting the mission and taking inputs from Systems, Mechanical and AIT team.
• All design aspects of electronics hardware including: capturing schematics, circuit simulation, PCB design 
• Upkeep of documentation pertaining to your product including bring up & verification test planning & execution
• Contribute to compiling comprehensive and organised documentation to capture the electronics design & performance.
• Plan & execute thorough testing, debugging, and verification of electronics systems.
• Write & follow the team & company procedures, identifying gaps & working toward continuous improvement of our working practices. 
• Stay updated on the latest advancements in power electronics technology and incorporate innovative solutions to enhance satellite capabilities and performance.
• Critically review other team members’ power electronics design, as part of the peer review process
• Capture design requirements & define verification test plans accordingly

What You Need to Succeed

• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment whilst managing multiple design topics & issues in parallel
• Agility to respond to urgent issues offering technical support & fault diagnosis both on-site & via video-calls.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to effectively diagnose and troubleshoot issues in digital electronics systems using design files, system knowledge, and hands-on testing.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, to collaborate effectively with colleagues, stakeholders and governing bodies with varying degrees of technical experience.
• Deep understanding of quality principles and best practices in digital electronics design, including design for reliability, fault tolerance, and radiation tolerance.
• Proficiency in CAD (ideally Altium) for schematic capture, PCB layout, and design verification, with a keen eye for detail and accuracy.

This role offers a stimulating and rewarding environment where you can leverage your expertise in power electronics to make a meaningful impact on satellite technology. If you're motivated to push the boundaries of what's possible in space, we want to hear from you!

This is a hybrid role - sometimes you will need to be in the lab every day for 1 or 2 weeks at a time, at other times, you may work remotely if you choose - the requirements fluctuate and you should be prepared and ready to support your colleagues in the lab and office as the business needs.