System Engineer (Radio Astronomy) Full Time Job

System Engineer (Radio Astronomy) – Cape Town.

The main purpose of the job is to work as part of a team executing the systems engineering during the design, construction, integration, verification and commissioning of Telescope Dishes and associated supporting systems, both in the laboratories in Cape Town and on-site at Carnarvon in the Northern Cape.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan and execute assembly, integration and verification of complicated systems, both in the laboratory and in the field.
• Responsible for systems engineering over multiple lifecycle phases with a strong ability to address the speciality engineering and “ilities” of systems design, for sub-systems and systems with medium criticality.
• Establishing baselines and design configurations, including preparing and implementing engineering changes to the baselines.
• Performing detailed engineering analysis and synthesis of alternative solutions derived from unclear or vague specifications.
• Reviewing and integrating multiple activity reports into system-level analysis and reports to ensure the quality and integrity of results and recommendations.
• Provide “field engineering” services after delivery to aid in fault diagnostics and rectification.
• Coaching or mentoring one or more young engineers in the field of engineering and specifically systems engineering.
• Participate in work teams focussed on Project or Programme planning and strategic decision-making.
• Contribute to organisational maturity through the maintenance and upgrade of engineering processes within his/her realm of responsibility.

Key Requirements:

Qualification:

• B.Eng / B.Sc (Eng) with 4+ years; OR
• M.Eng with 3+ years; OR
• PhD / D.Eng with 1+ years

Experience:

• A background in development of systems in radio astronomy, radar, satellite or avionics systems is preferred.
• Integration, test and verification of complicated systems which includes RF, digital and mechanical elements.
• Applied Systems Engineering across the multiple lifecycle stages of a system or product, at all levels up to user systems (L5) of the systems hierarchy.
• Use of Computer-aided Systems Engineering Tools (e.g. CORE)
• Application and control of systems engineering processes and procedures.
• Baseline establishment and management.
• Change control

Knowledge:

• Recognised domain knowledge of systems engineering, technology and/or software, based on theoretical aspects and experience in systems engineering methods, procedures, tools and techniques.
• Configuration management and configuration management systems.
• Systems Engineering Standards, e.g. ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 & 15289,
• Quality assurance systems (ISO 9001)
• Knowledge of the PFMA and related procurement regulations

Additional Notes:

The applicant should have the following skills/abilities/competencies:

• Operate independently or as part of a team to engineer products and systems, typically at any level of the system’s hierarchy from materials & components up to systems.
• Undertake engineering activities covering multiple lifecycle phases of the system under development with a strong ability to address the speciality engineering and “ilities” of system design.
• Perform detailed engineering tasks and analysis with limited or no supervision, employing academic and practical knowledge gained on the job.
• Provide systems engineering on a primary system across multiple domains while supporting secondary product development.
• Contribute to or lead- the evolution and implementation of improved engineering processes.
• Use advanced interpersonal skills in order to influence engineering attitudes and systems design for operational environments.
• The Systems Engineer will operate within a matrix engineering organisation and thus may be deployed between various projects and teams with different specific roles as dictated by the current organizational needs.
• ASEP/CSEP accreditation will be an advantage