Summary

You will set the direction for all of FINCH’s electrical hardware, and are responsible for clearly documenting the requirements and processes of each design. This includes our on-board computer for data processing; sensors to gather information about the state of the satellite; the generation, storage, and delivery of electrical power throughout the satellite; and the RF chain. You should be able to develop a vision for a comprehensive, effective electrical system and determine what it will take to get us there.

You will have to develop a keen awareness of the people working in the Electrical System and how they’re feeling in and contributing to our team environment. You will be responsible for making, affirming and documenting important decisions that will shape the FINCH mission, and overseeing the various electrical subsystems such as EPS and RF.

In the present state, the electrical lead is also the technical lead for OBC and Pay-Elec, however that is not inherent to the electrical lead position. Based on personal preference, these responsibilities can be kept or transitioned to other members.

Note: You may decide to continue working on technical projects in addition to your duties as a lead (in fact, it is encouraged), but your members and your subsystem’s project management needs should be the priority. This means handing off some projects for the sake of growing the team and your members knowledge, and working closely with them in the development of their work to ensure it is flight-ready. Keep in mind that spending time imbuing your members with a growth mindset is the ethos of UTAT and is the essential task of any effective leader.

Responsibility

• Coordinate design on the electrical team to create robust designs, enhance learning, and excel in leadership/community-building
• Support subsystems in electrical system, providing keen technical insight and advice to all projects that fall within the system, and inevitably stepping up and helping with design or hands-on work as needed
• Coordinate between the electrical system and the rest of the team: for example, defining and working on the interface between the satellites electrical bus circuit boards and the mechanical structure or communicating with firmware regarding their microcontroller needs
• Writing documentation, including interface definitions, requirements, testing notes, and important design decisions and their rationales.
• Teaching new members how to do electrical design with an emphasis on space design, and mentoring to more senior members

Time Commitment

• Approximately 8-12 hours a week, varying from week to week
• Attend 3-4 meetings per week (general, systems meeting, leads meeting, meeting with your members/electrical system meeting)
• Attend work sessions 1-3 times per week (depending on members needs and personal projects)
• Be frequently available on Slack for questions from the team
• Able to fill the role until at least August 2025 (but longer is always appreciated)

Skills

You should be interested in and expect to learn about all of the following. Prior experience in any of these areas will be useful for the role, but none are required: