Defense and Space Manufacturing

Senior Electrical Engineer - Power Electronics

Jacksonville, FLOnsiteFull TimeSeniorPosted 25 days ago

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Required skills

Power Electronics
Spacecraft
Orbital economy
Energy grid
Power beaming
Solar panels
Power-domain architectures
Power requirements generation
Subject matter expert
Novel power electronics concepts

Nice to have

Satellite EPS Architecture
Laser/Optics Power
Vacuum / HV Experience
Space Flight Experience
Magnetics
Aerospace Standards

Role summary

Star Catcher is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer - Power Electronics to develop space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and its orbital power grid. This role involves leading power-domain architectures, designing high-power DC-DC converters, regulators, and power conditioning units, and analyzing power distribution and high-voltage subsystems. The engineer will also mentor junior staff, manage vendor relationships, and contribute to the design and testing of space-qualified hardware. Expertise in switching power supply topologies, high-voltage design for space, schematic capture, PCB layout, and circuit simulation is required. Experience with satellite EPS architecture, laser power supplies, and space flight heritage is preferred.

Power the future of Space at Star Catcher

Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy.

Today’s spacecraft must generate all of their own power, which caps what they can do and how long they can operate. But what if they could “plug” into a grid, the way buildings do on Earth? Instead of cables and outlets, Star Catcher is building the technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft’s existing solar panels when and where they need it.Be an early member of a team building an entirely new energy infrastructure at scale to power the next frontier.

Star Catcher Industries, Inc., located in Jacksonville, Florida, has an opportunity for a Senior Electrical Engineer - Power Electronics to support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, its orbital power grid.

Key Responsibilities

Lead and co-own power-domain architectures across projects with other senior engineering leads; lead power requirements generation and design reviews.

Serve as subject matter expert for power electronics designs company wide.

Lead investigation of novel power electronics concepts and technologies.

Architect, design, and analyze high-power DC-DC converters, regulators, and power conditioning units capable of sustaining multi-kilowatt continuous loads.

Design and analyze power distribution architectures and EMI filters, and analyze analog/power circuits for stability, efficiency, power draw, and in-rush behavior using SIMPLIS, SPICE, or equivalent simulation tools.

Design robust interfaces between energy sources and high-power loads, addressing source impedance, inrush, transient demand, protection coordination, and operating limits.

Design and analyze high-voltage subsystems and laser drive power, ensuring mitigation of corona discharge, arcing, and electrical breakdown in partial and deep vacuum environments.

Write specifications and test approaches for power supply circuit designs, and select components or modules for discrete power converter and power conditioning designs.

Create schematics for analog/power circuits and support PCB layout for power electronics hardware.

Conduct and participate in peer design reviews, design verification testing (DVT) of engineering units, and provide oversight as designs move into production.

Perform analog and power testing in a laboratory setting for development components and circuit cards.

Work closely with digital/FPGA, RF, mechanical, and thermal engineering teams to ensure power electronics can survive the extreme thermal dissipation requirements of a continuous, multi-kilowatt load in a vacuum.

Mentor junior and mid-level power electronics engineers, and manage technical relationships with external contractors and vendors.

Lead power-switch selection and derating with the radiation-effects consultant, accounting for device-specific destructive single-event effects, application bias and transients, thermal limits, test-data gaps, and verification evidence.

Basic Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline.

Experience: 10+ years of professional experience in power electronics design, specifically with high-power, high-current regulators and power conditioning systems.

Technical Expertise

Deep understanding of switching power supply topologies (e.g., buck, boost, forward, flyback, full-bridge, LLC).

Demonstrated understanding of high-voltage design rules for space, including creepage and clearance, dielectric material selection, partial-vacuum breakdown behavior (including Paschen-region effects), and other vacuum-breakdown mechanisms relevant to space hardware.

Proven experience in schematic capture and PCB layout for high-power circuits utilizing advanced EDA tools (e.g., Altium Designer or equivalent), alongside circuit simulation, SI/PI, and thermal analysis suites (e.g., Ansys or equivalent).

Demonstrated knowledge of AC/DC and DC/DC power converter design, build, and test, including control loops and stabilization analysis.

Strong background in managing thermals, EMI/EMC, and grounding in high-power systems.

Demonstrated experience leading or co-owning power system or subsystem architecture from concept through qualification in a demanding environment; spaceflight heritage is preferred.

Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and tackle unprecedented engineering problems with a rigorous, analytical approach.

Preferred Qualifications

Satellite EPS Architecture: Direct experience designing overall Electrical Power System (EPS) architectures for satellites, including battery management systems (BMS), solar array regulators, and power distribution.

Laser/Optics Power: Prior experience designing power supplies specifically for high-power lasers, directed energy, or large-scale optical payloads.

Vacuum / HV Experience: Direct experience testing and qualifying high-voltage systems in thermal-vacuum (TVAC) chambers, with a practical background in preventing multipactor effects and vacuum breakdown.

Space Flight Experience: Proven track record of designing hardware that has flown in space. Familiarity with radiation-hardened or radiation-tolerant design practices.

Magnetics: Knowledge of high-frequency magnetics design, development, and manufacturing.

Aerospace Standards: Strong familiarity with key industry standards for testing, qualification, and manufacturing, including MIL-STD-461 (EMI/EMC), MIL-STD-810, NASA GEVS, or IPC J-STD-001 Space Addendum.

Advanced Degrees: Master's degree or Ph.D. in Power Electronics or a related field.

Help us deploy and scale space infrastructure that will drive our utilization of space forward! We offer a highly competitive benefits package including access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, and paid parental leave, in addition to other benefits.

Star Catcher is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Star Catcher is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

All offers of employment at Star Catcher are contingent upon results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

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