We are looking for a skilled and highly motivated individual to lead the hardware development of an integrated hardware/software platform that teaches young people in Zambia the fundamentals of building a decentralised renewable energy supply. You will be working in a small team to deliver an innovative product which has the potential to make renewable electricity accessible to millions of people.

Responsibilities

• Leading the design and development of an internet connected renewable energy platform
• Ownership of PCB development – specification, design, prototyping and testing
• Participating in design studies to produce detailed specifications for electronic design
• Developing a power delivery module
• Developing an IoT communications module
• Supporting the development of educational materials, teaching electronic engineering
• Collaborating with multidisciplinary team members including teachers, designers and software engineers.

Requirements

• Completed BEng or equivalent experience in electronic engineering, electrical engineering or a related field
• Excellent problem solving and communication skills
• Familiarity with mixed signal design, embedded systems design, battery technologies and power electronics
• Familiarity with IoT services and big data pipeline infrastructure.
• Familiarity with wireless communication technologies (Bluetooth, GSM)
• Experience selecting and using microcontrollers and their peripheral circuitry (signal conditioning, board-level power supplies)
• Good understanding of DC-DC power converter design and development. Ideally you would have some experience building a switching power supply from scratch.
• Knowledge of microprocessor architecture and design (AVR, ARM, PIC)
• Experience of C or C++ programming for microcontrollers
• Hands on experience with electronics testing equipment (scope, DMM, sig-gen, PSU)
• Experience creating specifications and reading datasheets

Desired skills

• Passion for renewable energy and international development
• Experience with PCB design
• Leadership and project management experience
• Knowledge of battery charging circuitry (lithium-ion and lead acid batteries)
• Knowledge of microcontroller direct register access and low level programming
• Experience in the use of CAD tools (Eagle, KiCad) for electronic design
• Familiarity with control theory and digital implementation of controls
• Experience in modeling, simulation, and testing of electronics
• Experience in Africa or similar market with bottom of the pyramid customers