Senior Avionics Engineer - Power Electronics

Responsibilities

• Own the full development lifecycle of high-reliability, high-voltage power processing units for ion propulsion systems
• Architect and design high-power DC-DC converters and power distribution electronics
• Design and prototype vehicle-level high-voltage distribution units and interface modules
• Perform electrical analyses including Worst-Case Analysis (WCA), FIDES, Power Integrity, and thermal simulations
• Select space-grade high-voltage components addressing radiation tolerance and corona discharge risks
• Lead the design of complex power electronics including custom magnetics and switching regulators
• Develop grounding, bonding, and EMI/EMC strategies for integrated avionics suites
• Oversee bring-up, smoke testing, and diagnostic verification of flight hardware
• Define and lead environmental qualification testing such as TVAC, vibration, and EMI/EMC
• Mentor junior and intermediate engineers through technical reviews

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in high-reliability power electronics design
• Mastery of high-voltage power electronics design, simulation, and layout
• Experience with high-efficiency DC-DC converters operating below 1kV
• Expertise in magnetics design and high-voltage isolation techniques
• Hands-on expertise with advanced lab instrumentation for hardware characterization
• Strong understanding of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Test (DFT)
• Proficiency in Altium Designer, LTspice, PLECS, or PSIM
• Experience with HyperLynx, ANSYS Icepak, JAMA, and Teamcenter

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of space-specific constraints like radiation mitigation and vacuum thermal management
• Experience with FPGA development or low-level embedded software
• Background in designing ion propulsion power processing units or Hall effect thruster controllers
• Experience leading environmental qualification campaigns to aerospace standards
• Experience with automated test equipment (ATE) development
• Familiarity with COTS component application in high-reliability systems

About the Company

Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company delivering responsive launch services, complete spacecraft design and manufacturing, payloads, satellite components, and more – all with the goal of opening access to space.