Principal Electrical Power Batteries and Controls Engineer

Axiom Space is a human space exploration company, building era-defining space infrastructure and delivering technology-driven solutions that will empower civilization to transcend Earth. Beginning with Axiom Station, successor to the International Space Station, the company is pioneering a next-generation orbital settlement that will foster groundbreaking innovation and research in microgravity and drive the global space economy of tomorrow. Today, guided by the vision of leading humanity's expansion off planet, Axiom Space is the principal provider of commercial human spaceflight services and developer of advanced spacesuits for the Moon and beyond. For more information about Axiom Space, visit www.axiomspace.com.

Axiom Space fosters a work environment inclusive of all perspectives. We are the pioneers of commercial space, leading the transformation of low-Earth orbit into a global space marketplace. Our mission-driven team is seeking a bold and dynamic Electrical Power Batteries and Controls Engineer Principal who is fueled by high accountability, execution horsepower, and driven to understand our world, science/technology, and life itself, for the benefit of all on Earth and beyond.

POSITION SUMMARY

Since Axiom Space is a very complex work environment, we are looking for a resilient, high-energy Electrical Power Batteries and Controls Engineer to own the energy storage segment of the Axiom Station Electrical Power System from the requirements down to the verified article. This is not a board level design role. It is the role of the person who decides what the energy storage system must do, proves by analysis that it can do it, writes the documents that hold the design accountable, and then ensures the suppliers, the safety authority, and the rest of the vehicle agree with all three.

The energy storage segment is a high voltage lithium-ion system supporting a regulated 120 V primary bus, with charge and discharge regulation, isolation monitoring, protection, and management functions split between Axiom and supplier scope. The person in this seat owns the requirement baseline, the energy and eclipse models, the interface definitions, the power quality obligations at the storage interface, and the verification thread from System Requirements Review through Manufacturing Readiness Review and flight.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the energy storage requirement set: cells, modules, vaults, management and protection functions, charge and discharge regulation, isolation monitoring, and associated telemetry and commanding. Decompose station and module level power requirements into equipment level, verifiable requirements and maintain bidirectional traceability in the program requirements management tool.

• Write requirements as properties of the system, not as implementations. Hold the line on verifiability, single source of truth, and disciplined closure of every TBD, TBC, and TBR with a named owner and a closing event.

• Build, run, and defend the analyses that size the system: orbit average power and energy balance, eclipse and contingency energy budgets, depth of discharge and life degradation to end of service, charge taper and return to full charge time, state of charge estimation error effects, and energy availability after credible failures.

• Define the electrical interfaces between the battery and the charge and discharge regulation function, and author or co-author the corresponding interface control documents: voltage envelopes, constant power operating corners, inhibit commands and response timing, protection coordination, telemetry content and rates, isolation and grounding treatment, and connector and harness definition.

• Own power quality at the storage interface: steady state limits, ripple and noise, transient response across mode transitions such as eclipse entry and exit, and stability margin at the interface.

• Develop the verification and validation strategy and the verification matrices: cell lot screening and acceptance, module and vault level test, integrated string and system level test, environmental and EMC test participation, and the acceptance criteria that determine pass or fail.

• Support safety and hazard analysis for high voltage energy storage: thermal runaway initiation and propagation, single fault tolerance, inadvertent energization and inadvertent discharge, off nominal charging, isolation loss, and the associated controls, verifications, and safety data package content.

• Lead the technical content of supplier engagement: statements of work, procurement specifications, request for proposal technical packages, rough order of magnitude and proposal technical evaluation, supplier data package review, deviation and waiver disposition, and recovery planning when a supplier slips.

• Act as the integrator between the energy storage segment and the rest of the vehicle: thermal and structures for vault installation and heat rejection, avionics and flight software for control, telemetry, and fault detection, isolation, and recovery, operations for on orbit procedures and constraints, and logistics for orbital replaceable unit sparing and on orbit maintenance.

• Prepare, present, and defend material at SRR, PDR, CDR, Test Readiness Review, Manufacturing Readiness Review, and Flight Readiness Review, including to NASA and international partner audiences, and drive review actions to closure.

• Communicate technical status, risk, and options clearly to stakeholders and leadership, with the assumptions and the uncertainty stated rather than hidden.

• Perform additional job duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent. Advanced degree preferred.
• Level 4: 8 or more years of experience in spacecraft or high reliability electrical power systems engineering, with meaningful ownership of an energy storage or power conditioning segment.
• Level 5: 12 or more years, including at least one program carried from requirements definition through Critical Design Review or later. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated system level work with lithium-ion energy storage: architecture and sizing, series and parallel topology trades, management and protection function allocation, isolation and grounding treatment, and charge and discharge control concepts.
• Working understanding of the power electronics on the other side of the interface, including charge and discharge regulation, current limiting, and protection, sufficient to challenge a supplier design and to recognize an optimistic answer.
• Proven ability to author engineering documentation that passes external review: requirement specifications, interface control documents, power quality specifications, analysis reports, verification plans, and test procedures.
• Modeling and analysis capability in MATLAB and Simulink, Python, or equivalent, including energy balance models, degradation models, and circuit or system level simulation.
• Experience working requirements in a managed environment such as Jama, DOORS, or equivalent, including traceability, baselines, and change control.
• Direct experience managing technical scope with suppliers and subcontractors: specification, negotiation, data package review, and issue recovery.
• Track record of delivering outcomes in ambiguous, fast-moving environments, and of delivering high quality results under tight deadlines.
• Uses good judgement to problem-solve proactively, positively impacting hard challenges
• Demonstrated organization skills to meet tight deadlines with high quality results

Preferred Qualifications

• Human spaceflight or crewed vehicle experience, and familiarity with the associated safety review process.

• Familiarity with the ISS power standards and practices, including SSP 30237, SSP 52051, NASA-STD-4003, MSFC-STD-3790, and JSC-20793 cell screening.

• Experience with thermal runaway propagation testing, battery safety testing, or cell lot acceptance campaigns.

• Experience with orbital replaceable unit design, sparing strategy, and on orbit maintenance concepts.

• Experience with fault detection, isolation, and recovery definition and with operations product development.

• INCOSE certification, or an equivalent demonstrated systems engineering practice.

Core Skills

·     Passion for space and the mission

·     Entrepreneurial, growth mindset

·     High EQ and ability to collaborate within teams and cross-functionally

·     Tech-solutioning in using systems and tools to move smarter and faster

Core Competencies:

Embody our core values of leadership, innovation, and teamwork. In addition, to perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

·     Accountability

·     Technical Rigor

·     Execution Discipline

·     Pride of Delivery

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Generally, an office environment, but can involve inside or outside work depending on the task.

Requirements 

• This position may require access to export controlled technical data or technology subject to NASA regulations, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), or Export Administration Regulations (EAR). In accordance with U.S. export control laws, final candidates may be required to undergo additional export control screening to determine eligibility for access. Meeting these requirements is a condition of employment.
• Management has the prerogative to select at any level for which the position is advertised
• Must be willing to work evenings and weekends as needed to meet critical project milestones

Physical Requirements

• Work may involve sitting or standing for extended periods (90% of the time)
• May require lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs. (5% of the time)
• Equipment and Machines
• Standard office equipment (PC, phone, printer, etc.)

Axiom Space is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  Axiom Space does not discriminate on the basis of race, regional color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.