Avionics Engineer (Power Electronics)

The role

You will own the design of a power converter for the Starlight solar array product. This includes developing the converter from system architecture through qualification and production.

What you will do

• Own the design of a power converter for the Starlight solar array product from requirements through flight readiness
• Translate system-level requirements into converter architecture and detailed electrical requirements
• Select converter topologies and components based on efficiency, power density, reliability, mass, cost, and manufacturability
• Design switching power stages, gate-drive circuits, magnetics, control loops, sensing, filtering, and protection circuitry
• Perform circuit modeling, simulation, stability analysis, component derating, and worst-case analysis
• Own schematic capture and power-electronics PCB layout
• Build, bring up, characterize, and debug converter prototypes
• Develop and execute tests for efficiency, regulation, transient response, stability, thermal performance, emissions, and fault behavior
• Design for launch and space environments
• Define electrical interfaces between the solar array, converter, spacecraft power system, and avionics

Required qualifications

• 3+ years of professional experience designing power electronics or power-conversion hardware
• Experience taking a power converter from architecture through prototype, bring-up, and testing
• Strong understanding of switch-mode power-converter topologies, control-loop design, magnetics, power semiconductors, and gate-drive design
• Experience with current and voltage sensing, feedback networks, filtering, isolation, and hardware protection circuits
• Strong understanding of grounding, parasitics, switching behavior, power integrity, and EMI/EMC fundamentals
• Experience designing or directing the layout of multilayer power-electronics PCBs
• Hands-on experience using oscilloscopes, electronic loads, power supplies, network analyzers, current probes, and differential probes
• Experience with circuit simulation, tolerance analysis, hardware bring-up, and root-cause investigation
• Degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
• A desire to make humans a multi-planet species

Nice to have

• Experience designing power electronics for spacecraft, satellites, launch vehicles, aircraft, or other high-reliability systems
• Experience with solar-array power electronics, maximum power point tracking, battery charging, or spacecraft electrical power systems
• Experience designing high-efficiency, high-power-density DC-DC converters and custom magnetics
• Experience with digital power control, embedded control firmware, or FPGA-based control
• Knowledge of radiation effects, electrical component derating, and worst-case circuit analysis for space hardware
• Experience designing for thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, and spaceflight EMC environments
• Proficiency with Altium Designer, Cadence, LTspice, PSpice, PLECS, or similar tools
• Experience supporting design-for-manufacturing, production testing, supplier qualification, or failure analysis

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, and retirement plans
• Paid time off, holidays, and flexible policies
• Professional growth opportunities through training and development
• The chance to own high-impact work that directly shapes the future of robotics & space!
• A collaborative, mission-driven culture where craftsmanship and innovation are celebrated

Before you apply

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, you must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv)

About the company

Starpath is building the technology to enable human expansion into the Solar System. They are developing systems that will produce the water, power, and oxygen needed for humans to live and work on the Moon and Mars.