About the role
As a Senior Electrical Satellite Systems Engineer, you’ll play a pivotal role in ensuring end-to-end mission success. You will lead the definition, integration, verification, and operational readiness of the satellite electrical architecture — from subsystem trade studies and design reviews to launch and early orbit phases.
You’ll act as a technical authority across payload and bus domains, mentoring junior engineers and serving as a trusted point of contact for operators, customers, and launch partners.
Key Responsibilities
- System Design and Development - Support ongoing design of electrical subsystems through final flight design, build, and test. - Define system requirements and maintain performance budgets across power, data, and reliability.
- Requirements Management - Maintain system requirements, verification, and test matrices from mission level down to subsystems.
- Technical Analysis - Perform and manage analyses including power budgets, failure mode analysis, and reliability.
- Interface Control - Manage interface control documents (ICDs) to ensure proper electrical connections between subsystems.
- Testing and Verification - Develop and oversee execution of test plans and procedures to verify and validate satellite performance through qualification and LEOP phases.
- Documentation - Prepare and maintain design reports, specifications, and verification matrices.
- Team Leadership - Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (software, mechanical, ground segment)
- Supplier and Project Management - Oversee subcontractors and vendors to ensure compliance with program requirements.
- Program Support - Participate in major reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, PSR, and LRR.
Required Skills and Experience
- Education - Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience - 15+ years in satellite systems design for LEO constellations, with full lifecycle experience.
Technical Expertise
- Systems Leadership & Architecture - Define spacecraft electrical system architecture ensuring optimal payload–bus integration. - Develop and maintain system-level documentation (Satellite Reference Database, Parameter Book, CONOPS). - Oversee subsystem interfaces for avionics, power, AOCS, propulsion, TT&C, thermal, and data handling. - Own requirements management, flow-down, and traceability across the project lifecycle. - Conduct gap analyses and ensure subsystem requirements meet mission-level objectives.
- Design, Verification & Validation - Define and validate electrical performance budgets (power, data, fault management). - Lead all V&V phases including electrical ground testing (qualification, TVAC, EMC/EMI), and environmental qualification. - Drive fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) strategy and contribute to flight software validation. - Oversee system-level integration testing and ensure design compliance. - Lead readiness for launch, early orbit, and end-of-rendezvous operations.
- Operations & Launch Support - Interface with launch providers to ensure compliance with integration and environmental requirements. - Provide technical leadership during launch campaigns, LEOP, and in-orbit testing. - Support Satellite Operations Control Center (SOCC) activities including telemetry, command databases, and anomaly resolution.
- Stakeholder Communication & Leadership - Engage with customers and satellite operators on complex technical matters. - Mentor junior engineers and promote systems thinking and disciplined engineering practice. - Lead and document design reviews ensuring compliance with ECSS, PUS-STD, and internal standards.
Tools & Soft Skills
- Experience with flight engineering software, Agile methods, and modeling/simulation tools (e.g., MATLAB). - Strong written and verbal communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. - Proven analytical and problem-solving abilities in dynamic, ambiguous environments.
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