About this job

At Rocket Lab, we believe the future will be defined and enabled by access to space. As a world leader in launch and space systems, we’re making that future a reality and enabling the ideas of tomorrow to reach orbit today. We’re unlocking the potential of space and ushering in a new era of opportunity and exploration for the benefit of humankind.

This is a rare opportunity within Rocket Lab to play a pivotal role in supporting NASA in its mission to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. Our Electron launch vehicle and Photon satellite bus have been selected by NASA to launch a pathfinding mission to lunar orbit in 2021. The historic mission will lay the groundwork for the Lunar Gateway, paving the way for future human missions to the Moon and further exploration of our solar system. The Moon is just the beginning, so now is your chance to play a key role in shaping our long-term exploration plans.

As the Power Electronics Engineer supporting the Photon program you will have a unique opportunity to help shape this space system and, given the high launch cadence of Electron, have unparalleled opportunities for end-to-end system development and on-orbit operations. Your team-mates and mentors are the people who designed and built Rocket Lab’s world-first launch and space systems from the ground up. You’ll have the opportunity to grow your career in a fast-paced, innovative environment, while working alongside dedicated colleagues who support each other every step of the way.

Responsibilities

Rocket Lab is seeking exceptional engineers to work on the electrical power system (EPS) of its Photon satellites. The Power Electronics Engineer will be responsible for the design, development, and test of various avionics components involved in battery charging via solar power, power distribution, and power control.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop & Implement the power control system for a space vehicle.
• Develop schematic and layouts, working with both internal team members and external vendors.
• Develop, in collaboration with SW & embedded systems teams, software and firmware.
• Develop methods for and participate in hardware testing.
• Perform trade studies on architecture and implementation options.
• Collaborate with other team members and technical disciplines in developing requirements and managing interfaces with other vehicle elements.

Profile

The successful candidate will be comfortable with all aspects of design, assembly, integration, and testing and will have prior experience with in-space power systems.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years experience in the development of power control and other embedded systems.
• Solar panel and battery charging experience.
• Ability to take a concept from requirements through design, build, test, production, and operations.
• FPGA design experience.
• Schematic and layout (Altium designer, preferred not required).
• Document management and systems engineering exposure.
• Lab testing of both developmental and production-level PCB’s.
• Experience working with subcontractors and vendors.
• Ability to work independently and successfully manage multiple priorities.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Previous experience leading a team.
• Prior experience with the implementation of peak power tracking architectures.
• Experience with radiation mitigation methods.
• Experience with thermal design techniques for in-space hardware.
• Experience with common standards and best practices for designing hardware for in-space use.

Important Information

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15) or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.