Senior Photovoltaics / Solar Array Engineer - Solar & Deployables
Core
Design, qualify, and sustain photovoltaic systems (solar arrays) for spacecraft, optimizing efficiency across mass, power, and cost from cell selection to flight hardware.
Role type
Senior IC hardware engineer (photovoltaics/solar arrays)
Builds
Spacecraft power systems (solar arrays, cells, encapsulation, electrical architecture)
Domain
Aerospace / Space Systems / Photovoltaics
Required skills
solar cell physics, array electrical architecture, environmental qualification testing, vendor management, system-level optimization, GD&T, BOMs, mass/power budgeting
Preferred skills
flight heritage in space solar arrays, IMM space solar cells, array electrical modeling (EQFLUX), in-house lamination processes, high-voltage grounding/bonding, Python/MATLAB
Technologies
CAD, PLM, TVAC, vibration testers, thermal cycling equipment, EQFLUX, MATLAB, Python
Responsibilities
Lead solar cell selection and qualification; define array electrical architecture; optimize system efficiency (mass/power/cost); manage vendor partnerships; develop performance predictions; own encapsulation and qualification processes; mentor junior engineers
Seniority
Senior, hands-on IC