NASA Space Vehicle Electromagnetic Interference; EMI​/Electromagnetic Compatibility; EMC​/E

Job Title:

NASA Space Vehicle Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) / Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) / Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Systems Engineer

Job Category:
Engineering

Time Type:
Full time

Minimum Clearance Required to Start: NACI

Employee Type:
Regular

Percentage of

Travel Required:

Up to 10%

Type of Travel:
Continental US

* * *

CACI is looking for a Space Vehicle Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) / Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Systems Engineer with an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) specialty to join the EMI/EMC Test and Analysis Team at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Strong candidates will have academic backgrounds in a related field with significant professional experience in electromagnetics and electrostatic discharge analysis. As a member of the EMI/EMC team technical staff, the engineer will support a variety of current and future space vehicle assignments based on specific experience in the EMI/EMC field.

The selected candidate will serve as an EMI/EMC domain expert performing and coordinating EMI/EMC systems engineering efforts on an array of human spaceflight programs including the International Space Station (ISS), Orion, and Moon Base.

Additional assignments include performing vehicle-level electromagnetic analyses such as grounding and shielding assessments, to ensure spacecraft EMC compliance. The candidate will also assist in planning and executing system-level EMI tests, while guiding programs on requirement allocation and Verification and Validation (V&V) from initial architecture through final flight certification.

Preferred qualifications include deep Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) risk mitigation knowledge, specifically concerning orbital spacecraft charging analysis, vehicle level charging pathway, surface potentials, and materials evaluation, to act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) who will lead ESD requirements across multiple NASA projects.

This position requires a self-motivated, capable person with strong verbal and written communication skills. In addition to outstanding academic performance, the individual must be very people savvy, have strong customer relationship skills, possess a positive team-player attitude, be flexible and willing to take on new assignments and responsibilities as they arise, and be an articulate speaker able to communicate complex technical ideas in a convincing manner.

The individual must share our passion for our Nation's Space Program and share in the excitement of developing the next generation of human-rated space vehicles.

• Collaborate directly with cross-functional teams and product managers to integrate EMI/EMC and ESD considerations, during early product development.
• Lead failure investigations to resolve test discrepancies and anomalies, developing required electrical/electronic design changes or requirement tailoring recommendations.
• Participate in design reviews, customer acceptance reviews, test readiness reviews, and other program reviews; develop milestone review documentation, as needed.
• Assist with the design, implementation, and operation of the EMI Test Laboratory including high voltage discharge testing, plasma chamber testing, triboelectric charge measurements, and ESD characterization testing.
• Lead ESD requirement definition across diverse projects, applying deep technical knowledge of in-orbit spacecraft charging environments, including surface charging, internal charging, differential potentials, plasma interactions, and discharge event risk.
• Evaluate materials for charge accumulation, dissipation, and susceptibility to ESD, including coatings, polymers, composites, thermal blankets, and wiring insulation.
• Perform complex electromagnetic, Radio Frequency (RF), and signal integrity analyses using software tools such as MATLAB, correlate and validate EMC simulation software models against empirical, measured test laboratory data to ensure predictive accuracy.
• Develop and validate electrostatic models to support design, verification, and certification of space vehicles, and ground vehicles using Ansys Charge Plus (EMA-3D Charge), Ansys HFSS, LT-Spice, NASCAP Spacecraft Charging…