Role
The Spacecraft Ground Checkout Lead is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of test procedures during the integration and launch of spacecrafts. It involves close co-ordination and planning with various stakeholders – especially spacecraft subsystem designers and integrators.
Responsibilities
- Develop and automate execution of test plans and procedures for spacecraft
- Perform functional and performance testing of spacecraft hardware and software
- Support electrical engineering during development and pre-production phases of hardware life cycles, as required
- Perform bring-up and acceptance tests of PCBAs, as required
- Analyse test data and provide actionable insights on system performance
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot and resolve issues
- Conduct environmental testing to ensure spacecraft performance in various conditions
- Participate in design reviews and provide input on testability
- Ground support equipment part maintenance
- Manage and report test non-conformances into actionable items
- Maintain test equipment and facilities
- Adhere to safety and quality standards
Education and Experience Required
- A bachelor’s or master’s degree in electrical/electronic/communication engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.
- Knowledge of analog and mixed signal components and concepts (ADC, filtering, decoupling, bias voltage/current generation, etc.) and signal integrity on PCB (matching, reflections, etc.)
- Experience with using hardware platforms (e.g. processors/FPGA/microcontrollers) and communication protocols such as SpW, CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, ETHERNET
- Working knowledge of automated test tools and scripting languages such as Python, Perl and C/C++ for lab equipment control and data analysis
- Experience of electronic fault finding and ability to debug from the circuit diagram
- Familiarity with test equipment such as spectrum analysers, logic analysers, network analysers, signal generators, power meters, oscilloscope etc.
- Practical experience of building test systems and testing early-stage prototypes and final products
- Experience with National Instruments hardware (cDAQ, cRIO, PXI) and software (LabVIEW) is a plus.
Skills and Abilities
- Creative problem-solver with attention to detail.
- Highly collaborative team-player who can quickly earn the confidence of co-workers and teammates.
- Ability to communicate effectively with management, engineering teams and partners / suppliers.
- Attention to business considerations and practical limitations related to system design and implementation.
- Ability to prioritize opportunities, needs and resources.
- Fluent in English, written and oral.