Senior Associate, Contamination Control Engineering

Job Title: Senior Associate, Contamination Control Engineering

Job Code: 11407

Job Location: Fort Wayne, IN

Job Description:

Contamination in the form of particulates, films, or scattered light can significantly degrade instrument performance and/or lifetime. Management of the cleanliness of optical and thermal control surfaces throughout the lifecycle of assembly, integration, test, launch and on-orbit operations requires a system approach. A successful contamination control engineer must work with designers and engineers throughout the entire process.

Desirable attributes include knowledge of aerospace contamination control and foreign object debris (FOD) control, a willingness to interact and work as part of a team with thermal, electrical, optical, mechanical, manufacturing, and test engineers designing, building, and testing spaceflight hardware and support equipment; an ability to identify contamination control-related improvements in materials, and develop cleanliness procedures as required. Provide leadership and ownership on all issues of contamination control at a site level. Provide guidance and process directions to Assembly & Test and Engineering personnel on issues related to contamination control. Support or lead when appropriate, internal or external failure investigations and audits related to contamination. Represent Harris at customers and suppliers as a Site expert in the contamination control field.

Essential Functions:

• Derive contamination control requirements from assembly through end of life using analyses to ensure system-level sensor performance
• Develop, review, and coordinate on program, supplier, and customer contamination control plans, test plans and procedures, personnel cleanroom training, and material and process specifications
• Interface with design engineers to provide contamination control inputs to hardware design and review manufacturing work instructions for adequate cleanliness levels throughout the build
• Provide engineering support to monitor contamination control techniques, methodologies and cleaning processes
• Evaluate inspection instrumentation
• Provide contamination control expertise and present contamination-related presentations during major program design reviews, and manufacturing and test readiness reviews
• Post-process thermal vacuum chamber data to determine acceptable outgassing levels
• Evaluate and request manpower/equipment/process resources as related to contamination control
• Support process improvement initiatives of technical and operational natures
• Provide cleanliness verification at the module, instrument, and spacecraft levels
• Monitor clean room environments

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree and minimum 2 years of prior relevant experience or Graduate Degree and a minimum of 0 to 2 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 6 years of prior Contamination Control Engineering.
• Systems Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics or other STEM discipline degree with a minimum of 2 years of experience in Contamination Control Engineering or a related field.
• Experience in a manufacturing environment and a solid understanding of concepts and practices common to the aerospace industry.

Preferred Additional Skills:

• Experience with spaceflight hardware.
• Experience with cleanroom operations and monitoring, material properties, vacuum systems, hardware cleaning and inspection methods, and knowledge of the space environment (vacuum, particulate, non-volatile residue, electromagnetic radiation, atomic oxygen, and thermal performance).
• Strong oral and written communication skills including the ability to deliver effective presentations to peers, management, and customers.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and implement process improvements.
• Ability to work well within a team environment with people of diverse skill sets and experience levels, including taking and providing technical direction, providing concise, relevant technical rationale, and collaborating with other engineers, technicians, and management staff.
• Ability to occasionally travel up to 10% .
• Ability to obtain a US Government Security Clearance.
• Ability to work overtime, shift work or extended shifts, weekends and holidays as required.
• Demonstrated modeling and analysis skills, preferably with Thermal Desktop, MATLAB, and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).
• Experience establishing and implementing technical requirements (specifications, program plans/requirements, etc.).
• Experience implementing contamination controls in collaboration with the design, hardware production, test and inspection functions.
• Knowledge of ISO-14644 "Cleanrooms and Controlled Environments".
• Knowledge of IEST-1246 standards as well as ASTM E 595 and 1559 testing.