Principal Power Electronics Engineer I
CesiumAstro
Austin, TX, USA
Posted 6+ months ago
Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.
We are seeking a Principal Power Electronics Engineer I to join our growing satellite development team. In this role, you will lead the design and integration of advanced power electronics within the electrical power subsystems of our satellite platforms. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional engineering teams—including systems, avionics, software, and mechanical engineers—to ensure robust, efficient, and innovative power solutions that meet all mission requirements. Your expertise will drive advancements in power conversion, motor control, power management, energy storage, and distribution for our next-generation space systems.
JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Define electrical power system architecture, and derive power subsystem requirements
- Design DC-DC power converters, motor drives, inverters, power management and control circuits from concept to production release
- Perform detailed design for low to high complexity analog and power electronics circuits ranging from single DC-DC power converters to multi-output power supply modules and power control and distribution units (PCDUs)
- Perform modeling and analysis of analog and power electronics designs including worst-case circuit analysis (WCA), stress analysis, small signal modeling analysis, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), reliability analysis, and power integrity analysis
- Develop design verification test plans, requirement compliance matrices, system integration and qualification test plans, and production acceptance test plans for power converters and power supply designs
- Lead board bring-up and design verification testing of power electronics circuits and modules
- Lead system integration, qualification campaigns, and release of analog and power electronics designs into production
- Mentor younger engineers and foster knowledge sharing
- Lead a small team of power electronics engineers to drive project execution
- Perform research and monitor power electronics industry trends to drive innovation and generate intellectual property in this area
JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor of Science (BS) degree or higher in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
- Minimum of 9 years of experience designing analog and power electronics
- Experience working with electrical power systems and subsystems, including developing power architecture and power requirements, performing trade studies for size, weight, power, and cost optimization (SWAP-C),selecting power converter topologies, and defining power management and control blocks
- Experience with modeling and control of DC-DC converters and power stage design of different isolated and non-isolated DC-DC power converters (e.g. discrete linear regulators, Buck, Boost, Buck-boost, Flyback, Forward, Half-bridge, Full bridge, and Resonant converters)
- Experience with power stage design for inverters and motor drives
- Experience designing custom signal and power magnetics, and power filters for low noise and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
- Experience developing design verification test plans, requirement compliance matrices, system integration and qualification test plans, and production acceptance test plans
- Experience performing worst-case circuit analysis (WCA), stress analysis, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and reliability analysis for power supplies
- Extensive hands-on experience with testing and troubleshooting electronics and power converters using laboratory instruments such as oscilloscopes, impedance analyzers, spectrum analyzers, electronic loads, and signal generators
- Experience with electronics schematic capture and printed circuit board (PCB) layout tools such as Altium, OrCAD, Allegro or Xpedition
- Experience with analysis and simulation tools such as SPICE, LTSPICE, SIMetrix/SIMPLIS, PLECS, Simulink, MATLAB, MathCAD, ANSYS Q3D and SiWave, or HyperLynx
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE
- Master of Science or PhD in Electrical Engineering with research focus in power electronics
- Experience designing high-reliability analog and power electronics for space or defense applications
- Knowledge of space radiation environments and radiation effects in electronics
- Experience in power electronics applications utilizing GaN or SiC wide bandgap power semiconductor devices
- Experience running board-level power integrity simulation using tools such as Ansys SiWave, or HyperLynx
- Experience with soft switching and resonant power converter topologies (e.g. LLC, CLLC, series resonant, phase shifted full bridge, dual active bridge, etc.)
- Experience with modeling and control of inverters and motor drives
- Experience with advanced control schemes for DC-DC power converters (e.g. voltage mode with feedforward control, constant on-time control, V2 constant on-time control, phase shift modulation, average current mode control)
- Experience with isolation and grounding, failure mode effects analysis and fault tolerant design, and thermal management of power electronics
- Programming skills to support hardware test and data processing (Python, MATLAB, etc.)
- Experience with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for solar power applications, battery sizing and battery management systems, power conversion for electric propulsion systems, power conditioning, power management, and power distribution units for spacecraft technology
- Experience designing and testing power electronics units to meet industry standards and requirements in the automotive, industrial, space or military markets (e.g., FCC, CISPR, UL safety, ECSS, NASA, MIL standards)
CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.
CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members not through our approved vendor list or Talent Acquisition will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.
