Power Electronics Engineer (Sterling)

Senior Power Electronics Engineer

Location: Sterling, Virginia

Work Arrangement: On-site

Employment Type: Full-time

Position Overview

A rapidly growing engineering and manufacturing organization is seeking a Senior Power Electronics Engineer to lead the electrical design and development of high-current solid-state switching platforms used in mission-critical environments.

This individual will own detailed schematic design for SCR/thyristor-based switching architectures and contribute to system protection, fault-response, and thermal-management strategies. The position requires close collaboration with firmware, mechanical, manufacturing, testing, and compliance teams to bring reliable, safety-certified power systems to market.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to system-level architecture and electrical subsystem definition for high-current solid-state switching equipment.
• Own detailed power and control schematic design for SCR/thyristor-based switching platforms.
• Design and optimize critical circuits, including:
• Isolated gate-drive and firing circuits
• Snubber networks and dv/dt protection
• di/dt limiting strategies
• Fault commutation and semiconductor protection mechanisms
• Perform thermal analysis and Safe Operating Area evaluations for high-power semiconductor modules.
• Conduct short-circuit, overload, fault-current, and protection-coordination studies.
• Review PCB layouts for high-current routing, creepage and clearance compliance, isolation integrity, and EMC performance.
• Support high-current validation and laboratory testing activities involving systems rated up to 1600A.
• Participate in cross-functional design reviews and provide technical guidance to firmware, mechanical, manufacturing, and testing teams.
• Support compliance-driven product development and UL certification efforts for low-voltage power-electronics equipment.
• Promote safe practices within high-power development and testing environments.
• Take ownership of design integrity, validation results, and overall product reliability.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• At least seven years of hands-on industrial power-electronics design experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing schematics for high-current electrical systems.
• Deep technical knowledge of SCR/thyristor-based solid-state switching systems.
• Experience developing industrial power-electronics equipment such as inverters, converters, static switches, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with applicable UL requirements and NEC guidelines for low-voltage power equipment.
• Proficiency with schematic-design tools such as Altium Designer or OrCAD.
• Experience reviewing PCB layouts for high-power applications.
• Working knowledge of EMC/EMI mitigation techniques within power-electronics systems.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and technical decision-making abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience supporting products through UL certification or compliance testing.
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink, PLECS, LTspice, or comparable simulation tools.
• Experience designing redundant or high-reliability power architectures.
• Experience working with FPGA- or DSP-based control platforms for power-switching applications.