About this job

Sapienza Consulting, a Serco company, is recruiting a Power Conditioning Engineer for Sapienza to work on our Customers Site (ESA-ESTEC).

Sapienza has been a partner of ESA for almost 30 years, and we pride ourselves in supporting a wide range of missions including Galileo, MTG, Copernicus and ExoMars. Our team is international with activities across the U.K., the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Responsibilities

• The design, development and test of spacecraft power systems for on-board applications. This work encompasses the definition of centralized power systems having overall power levels up to 25 kilowatts, together with their interfaces with respect to solar arrays and batteries, the attendant power distribution/protection equipment and pyrotechnic activation functions. Detailed tasks include the overall system design necessary for the development of fault-tolerant power control and distribution concepts, the detailed design of the power regulators and the identification/use of tools and methods for ensuring dependable design and verification.
• The development of simulation blocks for system analysis (batteries, solar cells and arrays, power control and distribution units) useful for the independent evaluation of critical power and energy budgets (in support to running projects of the Agency).
• Support to laboratory activities concerning design and development or verification of circuits for power management and distribution (solar array and battery conversion electronics, power distribution and protection electronics, power conversion for generic and specific purposes, including redundancy and protections).
• Active involvement in critical R&D activities support (by simulation, worst case analysis and laboratory testing of the overall system or of the most critical sub-units).
• Assisting to the development and validation of worst case simulation blocks for electrical equipment analysis (converters, shunt regulators, current limiters, protections, critical telemetry or telecommand functions) useful for the independent check of the most critical equipment functionality and performances, in support to all programmes reviews where the power conditioning section is involved.
• The development and verification of high voltage design technologies and associated power converters, suitable for application as Electronic Power Conditioners (EPCs) for specialized spacecraft payloads such as Travelling Wave Tube Assemblies (TWTA’s) and Electric Propulsion Concepts.

Profile

• Master’s degree or equivalent qualification in in Electrical or Electronic Engineering or Physics or a related discipline.
• PhD degree will be an asset.
• At least 4 years of relevant work experience.
• Proven experience in Digital Control of power converters.
• Proven experience in FPGA and microcontroller programming.
• Proven experience in the design of power converters with GaN semiconductors.
• Proven experience on space power conversion systems.
• Experience in the development of computer models, especially with SPICE-based simulators.
• Excellent interpersonal skills are needed, together with a high degree organizational and communication abilities.
• Comfortable with working in a diverse and multinational team environment.
• Proficient in the English language, both written and spoken.
• Knowledge of another ESA member-state language is an asset.
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the EU.