System Performance Expert

Are you enthusiastic about working on the next (re)evolution occurring in vehicle-integrated photovoltaics? And are you passionate about programming, creative problem solving, learning, collaborating and have a maker attitude?

Join us on our mission!

Summary

Working at Lightyear is a unique experience. You get the opportunity to work for a company with a pure and meaningful mission. A mission that will make a positive and lasting impact on future generations.

What will you do as a System Performance expert

As a performance expert you will become part of the engineering team at Lightyear. In this role you will help grow the simulation & performance department, and lead this area within the company. You will work closely together with various experts in Software, Power electronics, Electromechanical, Testing, Prototyping and the applications teams.

• Optimize, validate and maintain a comprehensive software package for energy yield simulation of solar modules integrated in terrestrial vehicles (Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaics - ViPV).
• Implement advanced optical/electrical/thermal/environmental models.
• Analyze and interpret energy yield data collected from test vehicles.
• Integrate energy yield data into a vehicle performance model able to ultimately translate module Watts-peak (Wp) into solar Kms.
• Contribute to the development of advanced module topologies and energy management strategies in order to improve the overall vehicle efficiency.
• Plan validation tests for the high-level & low level controllers on dedicated setups and in-vehicle. Process data and assess the observations resulting from these tests.
• Support with performing tests on dedicated setups and in-vehicle, process data, and assess the observations.
• Steer the development priorities of the other teams in the right direction by providing them with detailed, proven performance data of the system overall and the relative contribution of their modules

A day as a System Performance expert

You start working in the morning and you quickly check the logs of your long term testsetup to see if everything is running as it should before you join the daily standup. After the standup you meet with a software engineer to discuss the architecture of the rewrite of the annual yield model, so that it becomes more usable for the other engineers and sales people in the company. After the meeting you have some time left before lunch to improve the optical model for glass-free technology. Recent validation test showed the simulation results were spot on for glass, but had quite some deviation for plastics. During the team lunch a colleague suggests using open source lidar data to improve the estimation of losses due to shadows. You spent the afternoon playing with the datasets in Python and Matlab to build a proof of principle.

What do we expect from a System Performance Expert?

In order to succeed in the dynamic world of Lightyear; pro-activity, professionalism, communication and adaptability are crucial. We are looking for someone with an ambitious attitude who learns from the past but who is especially open to transforming new developments or ideas into the ‘tried and tested’ of the future! You thrive on working team based, but working independently should come naturally to you. You are flexible and can work under pressure and you are not afraid of failing along the way. Furthermore, we are looking for someone with:

• 5+ years of experience
• MSc or PhD in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or similar field
• Good, broad understanding of the physics behind solar conversion and (cSi) photovoltaic cells and modules, including optical and electrical behavior
• Extensive Matlab / Simulink experience
• Software Architecture and programming skills are a big plus
• Python experience is a plus
• CAD experience is a plus
• Experience in working with large datasets
• Object-Oriented programming experience
• Hands on mentality for testing and validation. Design and execution of experiments
• Familiarity with test & measurement systems (e.g. Matlab/Simulink, dSpace, Speedgoat, Labview
• (Self-) Critical
• Excellent people skills and a desire to be part of a dynamic and talented multi-disciplinary team
• System thinker
• Able to strike a good balance between quality/performance and cost
• Technically creative
• Willingness to take on responsibility and to contribute beyond your own scope.

What can you expect from Lightyear?

In addition to a challenging role we also offer:

• A high degree of freedom and independence in your role
• A role within a multidisciplinary team consisting of highly motivated, inquisitive and talented people with a broad diversity of experience
• Participation in a good pension scheme
• 40 vacation days per year (based on a 40 hour contract)
• A committment to your personal career development and goals

About Lightyear

Lightyear is an innovative and progressive scale-up with one mission: clean mobility for everyone, everywhere.

Lightyear is an international leader in innovations for a future of sustainable transportation. In order to accelerate the transition towards a truly sustainable solution for mobility, we are focused on improving the efficiency and autonomy of new energy vehicles, including solar mobility charging systems.

At Lightyear, we all strive for the same goal. We have a team with diverse skill sets and backgrounds; all working tirelessly towards clean mobility for everyone, everywhere. We’re proud of our culture and live up to our core values: be bold, deliver quality, innovate with integrity, and serve your world. Our shared vision is what unites and drives us.