Solar Field Engineer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: NoCLEARANCE TYPE: NoneTRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the TimeDescriptionAt Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work - and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

The Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS) team for Northrop Grumman Space System's Defense and National Security operations team is looking to fill an engineering position specializing in space environment solar array design. This role would be responsible for assisting with architecting, manufacturing, testing, and verification of space environment solar array designs for spacecrafts. The ideal candidate for this position would have previous experience and knowledge of space environment solar arrays, understanding the fundamental methodologies of solar array electrical and mechanical analyses. Other highly preferred qualities for this candidate would also be strong leadership skills, customer service experience, vendor interfacing experience, budget management, and a strong self-initiated work ethic. This position is a 9/80 schedule but could require some night/weekend shift work and periodic domestic and international travel. Due to the nature of our work and the specialized facilities required, this position is required to be in-person on-site at the Dulles and/or Mclean/Tyson's Corner facilities in Virginia at 3 working days per week minimum.

Roles and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Develop, maintain, and verify mechanical and electrical requirements for specifications for space environment solar array wings and release mechanisms
• Perform component trade studies and be able to recommend technical solutions
• Perform space environment solar array power estimates, degradation analysis, and create IV curves
• Development and execution of mechanical and electrical design concepts for space environment solar array wings
• Ensure compliance with all electrical, mechanical, structural, and thermal design requirements through rigorous review and analysis
• Mentor and guide engineering teams across multiple disciplines to achieve program objectives
• Direct design reviews and participate in component and program level risk assessment and mitigation activities
• Review and approval of mechanical drawings, documentation, and test fixtures
• Collaborate with procurement and outside NGSC vendors to source assemblies, materials, and components in alignment with project goals
• Provide technical leadership in solar array integration, testing, and validation processes
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives and implementation of best practices in electromechanical design for solar arrays across various product lines and solar array design architectures

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or related field with typically 5+ years of relevant experience or equivalent advanced degree and experience
• Expertise in electromechanical system design, specific to space environment solar arrays, including mechanical, structural, thermal, and power analysis
• Proven ability to interpret higher spacecraft bus / subsystem level requirements and develop complex lower solar array/unit level mechanical and electrical requirements and define or validate design strategies to align to requirements
• Experience working in cross-functional engineering teams and design projects
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• U.S. Citizenship required
• Ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph

Preferred Qualifications:

• Specific experience in space environment solar array electromechanical design, integration, analyses, requirement verification, and testing within aerospace or space sectors
• Exposure and understanding of common space environment solar array design and qualification industry standards/handbooks such as AIAA-S-111, AIAA-S-112, AIAA-S-122, NASA-CR-149364, and/or ECSS-E-ST-20-08C
• Understanding of typical mechanical analyses and methodologies used in space environment deployable solar array designs including latch force calculations, torque margins, boom push force assessments, motor drive and gear head sizing, deployment dynamics, mechanical stress and thermal analyses, modal analyses, quasi-static analyses, and Hold-Down-Release-Mechanism pre-loading calculations
• Strong background in and ability to interpret typical mechanical design work-products such as Finite Element Models (FEMs), Mechanical Interface Control Documents (MICDs), and Computer Aided Design models (CAD)
• Understanding of typical electrical power analyses and methodologies used in space environment solar array sizing and performance degradation assessments including typical solar array loss factors, mission life, seasonal effects, radiation effects, thermal cycling effects, and shadowing/attenuation effects
• Understanding of typical considerations for electrical grounding and ground paths for space environment solar array design, including both deployable and body mounted solar array, and mitigations for solar array surface charging and ESD risks
• Understanding of typical derating requirements for electrical components including harnessing, connectors, diodes, thermistors, Platinum Resistance Thermometers (PRTs), using common industry standards such as EEE-INST-002
• Understanding of typical space environment solar array testing philosophies and common practices such as Large Array Pulse Solar Simulations (LAPSS), Forward Bias Visual Inspection / Electroluminescence (FBVI / EL), deployment testing considerations, ambient pressure thermal cycling (TC) and thermal vacuum cycling (TVAC) and bakeouts, and acoustics testing
• General exposure / familiarity with higher level Electrical Power Subsystems (EPS) and other components that typically interface to space rated solar arrays e.g., Solar Array Drive Assemblies (SADAs) and Power Distribution Avionics
• General exposure / familiarity with leading space industry photovoltaic technologies
• Demonstrated success interfacing with multi-disciplinary teams in fast-paced, high-demand environments

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

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Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.