Power Electronics Engineer

Job Description

About the Role

Pinnacle Partners is recruiting for a Senior Power Electronics Engineer in Sterling, VA. This is a hands-on engineering position focused on the design, development, testing, and production of high-voltage and high-current industrial power electronics systems. The ideal candidate will have experience designing power conversion systems, working with three-phase power and switching devices, performing electrical and thermal calculations, and personally bringing up, troubleshooting, and validating high-power prototype hardware.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design AC/DC and DC/DC power conversion circuits and systems.
• Develop high-voltage, high-current, and three-phase power systems.
• Design power circuitry utilizing SCRs, MOSFETs, IGBTs, gate drivers, and related switching components.
• Design sensing, isolation, control, and protection circuitry.
• Develop electrical schematics and provide technical guidance for PCB layout.
• Select power semiconductor devices and supporting electrical components.
• Select capacitors, fuses, contactors, relays, protection devices, and other components required for overall power systems.
• Perform electrical calculations to properly size and select components.
• Perform thermal calculations and evaluate thermal performance of high-power designs.
• Utilize simulation tools to evaluate power electronics designs before and during prototype development.
• Design around grounding, isolation, creepage, clearance, and other high-voltage safety requirements.
• Bring up and personally test prototype hardware.
• Troubleshoot and diagnose high-voltage/high-current hardware issues in the laboratory.
• Validate designs against performance and reliability requirements.
• Support EMI/EMC testing.
• Support UL/IEC and other applicable safety certification activities.
• Support prototype development through manufacturing and production.
• Work cross-functionally with controls, embedded, hardware, mechanical, and manufacturing engineering teams.
• Take independent ownership of hardware designs from initial concept through prototype testing and production.
• Move between electrical calculations, simulation, schematic design, component selection, prototype testing, and troubleshooting.
• Support the development of complex power infrastructure systems used in data centers and other advanced technology environments.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• Hands-on power electronics hardware design experience.
• Experience designing actual high-voltage and high-current power systems.
• Strong understanding of power conversion and analog circuit design.
• Experience with AC/DC and/or DC/DC power conversion.
• Experience working with three-phase power systems.
• Experience designing with power semiconductor and switching devices such as IGBTs, MOSFETs, SCRs, or similar technologies.
• Understanding of gate driver circuitry.
• Experience designing sensing, isolation, control, and protection circuitry.
• Ability to develop electrical schematics and understand PCB design/layout considerations for high-power electronics.
• Strong component selection experience.
• Ability to perform electrical and thermal calculations related to power electronics designs.
• Understanding of grounding, isolation, creepage, and clearance requirements.
• Strong hands-on laboratory, prototype bring-up, troubleshooting, and validation experience.
• Ability to independently take ownership of a hardware design rather than only supporting portions of another engineer's design.
• Ability to explain the voltage and current levels personally designed around.
• Ability to work effectively in a small, fast-moving, highly hands-on engineering environment.
• Ability to work onsite in Sterling, VA.

Preferred:

• 7+ years of power electronics engineering experience for Senior-level candidates.
• Experience with Altium Designer or a similar professional electronics design platform.
• Broad experience with power semiconductors including SCRs, IGBTs, MOSFETs, gate drivers, and related switching technologies.
• Experience with power electronics circuit simulation tools.
• EMI/EMC testing experience.
• UL/IEC safety certification experience.
• Experience integrating digital controls into power electronics systems.
• Industrial power equipment experience.
• UPS experience.
• Power distribution experience.
• Energy conversion experience.
• Motor drive experience.
• Inverter experience.
• Data center power experience.
• Experience with high-voltage/high-current industrial equipment.
• Strong system-level power electronics design experience.
• Experience developing overall electrical architecture rather than simply executing an existing design.
• Understanding of how power conversion, switching, sensing, control, protection, isolation, and thermal systems interact at the system level.
• Experience working with complex high-energy systems such as 600+ VAC three-phase, approximately 800 VDC, or 800+ amp applications.

Benefits Overview:

• $120K-$170K base salary depending on experience.
• Performance bonus.
• Paid time off.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match.
• Comprehensive health insurance.
• Dental insurance.
• Vision insurance.
• Relocation assistance available for qualified candidates.
• Collaborative, high-energy workplace.
• Opportunity to work on true high-voltage, high-current, three-phase power systems.
• Hands-on involvement throughout the full development lifecycle from concept and design through prototype testing, validation, certification, manufacturing, and production.
• Opportunity to work with AC/DC and DC/DC conversion, IGBTs, MOSFETs, SCRs, gate drivers, sensing, isolation, protection, thermal design, and digital power control.
• Exposure to complex power infrastructure supporting data centers and advanced technology environments.
• Opportunity for meaningful technical ownership within a small engineering organization.
• Cross-functional exposure to hardware, embedded, digital controls, mechanical, manufacturing, and other engineering disciplines.

Explore More Engineering Opportunities

This role falls within our Engineering/Manufacturing division , where we specialize in placing professionals in areas such as:

• Mechanical/Electrical Engineering
• Manufacturing/Process Engineering
• Controls Engineering
• Project Engineering
• Technical Sales
• Operations / Plant Engineering

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