Lead Power System Electrical Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Description

Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building, and operating a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system. We are seeking motivated, creative, and exceptional people to join our world-class team.    

The Avionics team is responsible for all aspects of the electrical systems and hardware on Astrolab’s electric rover vehicles and ground support equipment. We work collaboratively with all teams at Astrolab to provide exceptionally capable and reliable electronics to serve our missions.  

The Lead Power Systems Electrical Engineer will lead the Power Electrical Engineering team and participate in all aspects of the development and test of electrical power systems and components for Astrolab rovers.  The ideal candidate has 3+ years in spacecraft power systems engineering and 10+ years of experience in power electronics design including schematic capture, PCB layout, and testing. 

This position will report to the Director of Avionics Engineering and will be based in our Hawthorne, CA office. 

• Own the Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS) of Astrolab Rovers including the subsystem architecture, requirements, design, analysis, testing, delivery, and operation of power generation, storage, and distribution electronics for the vehicle. 
• Lead the Power Electrical Engineering team of 4+ people in the development and delivery of power system components including solar arrays, batteries, power conversion and distribution, and motor controller electronics. 
• Support Power EE direct reports through their technical work, performance evaluations, and career growth. 
• Own the vehicle Power Budget including system loads, sizing of the solar array and battery pack, and operational power modes. 
• Design analysis including power, size, mass, Monte Carlo tolerances, and reliability related.     
• Support the electro-mechanical strategy for power transmission and components. 
• Support qualification and integration testing of EPS components. 
• Support vehicle commissioning and mission operations related to the Electrical Power Subsystem. 

• Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent. 
• 3+ years of experience in spacecraft power systems engineering including proven flight experience. 
• 10+ years of experience in power electronics design including schematic capture, PCB layout, testing, and field operation support. 
• 2+ years of team leadership experience as manager of direct reports 
• Expertise in solar array design and manufacturing, and solar power conversion techniques. 
• Expertise in batteries and their management, and manufacturing of battery packs. 
• Expertise in power electronics including distribution techniques, voltage regulators, and precision analog instrumentation. 
• Skilled at schematic capture and PCB layout. 
• Skilled at performing circuit analyses in SPICE and Excel. 

Additional Responsibilities  

• Design for space environments including radiation impacts and mitigations. 
• PCBA design in Altium Designer. 
• Use basic electronic lab equipment such as power supplies, oscilloscopes, DMMs, signal generators, soldering iron, etc. 

• Join a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
• Equity ownership in the company
• Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Flexible PTO and parental leave
• Home office set up reimbursement
• Fully flexible and remote friendly work environment
• Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
• Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks