Power Electronics Engineer (IPS)

Company: ePropelled
Location: Coventry, UK
Level: Engineer or Senior Engineer, depending on experience and demonstrated capability
Reports to: Martin Palmer
Working arrangements: ePropelled’s Coventry Office
Status: Ready

ePropelled develops intelligent propulsion and power management systems for uncrewed vehicles operating in the air, on land and at sea. Its products combine electrical machines, power electronics and embedded control to deliver integrated propulsion and onboard power solutions. ePropelled’s products range in power from less than 1 kW to more than 20 kW with voltages from 12V up to 200V.

We are looking for a Power Electronics Engineer to help develop the successor to ePropelled’s Intelligent Power Systems (iPS), also referred to as a Power Management Unit (PMU).

You will combine a broad grounding in electronics design with practical experience of power conversion circuits. The initial focus will be the next generation of power management electronics, with opportunities to contribute to other ePropelled electronics products as priorities require. You will work with colleagues from firmware, mechanical, quality, systems and manufacturing engineering to turn requirements into reliable, testable and manufacturable hardware.

The role spans circuit design, simulation, design calculations, PCB development, prototype bring-up, validation testing and support for production introduction. Power conversion, regulation, motor drive, sensing, protection and embedded control interfaces will be central to the work. We will be looking at an architecture that balances modularity with limited voltage scalability enabling creation of variants with lessened effort.

We will consider candidates at Engineer and Senior Engineer levels. The scope of technical ownership will reflect your experience. Motor control experience would be advantageous but is not required. Experience in uncrewed vehicles or aerospace is also welcome, but relevant experience from other electronics sectors is equally applicable.

·         Translate product and system requirements into electronic circuit designs and verification test plans.

·         Design and develop power conversion and power management circuits, including converter topologies selection, power switch selection, gate drives, sensing and protection as required by the agreed architecture.

·         Develop supporting analogue, digital and microcontroller-based hardware, including signal conditioning, communications interfaces and auxiliary supplies.

·         Select and assess components using calculations, simulation and datasheet analysis, packages, tolerances, electrical stress, losses, thermal performance, reliability, availability and cost.

·         Produce schematics and PCB layout, directly or with layout support, paying particular attention to switching loops, multi-layers stack up, track current calculation, current paths, grounding, signal integrity and thermal management.

·         Bring up prototypes and investigate circuit and system behavior using appropriate laboratory equipment and safe test methods.

·         Plan and carry out tests covering regulation, standards , certification, efficiency, transient response, protection, fault conditions and temperature across the specified operating range.

·         Work with firmware engineers on hardware-software interfaces, timing, measurements, control-loop behaviour, diagnostics and fault handling.

·         Address electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), reliability and design-for-manufacture requirements throughout development, and support relevant verification and compliance testing.

·         Maintain design calculations, review records, test reports and controlled release documentation; support design reviews, manufacturing introduction and investigation of product issues.

You will take responsibility for defined circuits, boards or development activities within an agreed architecture. You should be able to progress routine design and test work independently, recognise when you need support and present evidence at design reviews. Technical guidance will be available for unfamiliar topology choices, complex control or protection behaviour, and wider system trade-offs. You will be supported by Senior Engineers and Engineering Managers as needed.

You will jointly own substantial power electronics hardware or a defined subsystem from requirements through verification and production release. You should have evidence of delivering relevant hardware through development into production or operational use, resolving difficult design issues and making justified trade-offs between performance, thermal behaviour, EMC, reliability, cost and manufacturability.

You will help shape the architecture for your scope, lead technical reviews and risk resolution, and support other engineers through review and knowledge sharing. This is a hands-on technical role; line management is not assumed.

The following would be advantageous; candidates are not expected to have all of them:

·         Three-phase generator interfaces, synchronous rectification, battery charging, power-source changeover or bidirectional conversion.

·         Motor drives or motor control, including BLDC or PMSM systems, inverter integration or starter-generator operation.

·         Magnetics design, digital control of power converters, or detailed thermal analysis.

·         CAN or CAN FD interfaces, embedded C/C++, or Python and similar tools for test automation and data analysis.

·         EMC troubleshooting, environmental testing, design failure analysis, production test development, or electronics for demanding mobile or industrial environments.

You should be able to demonstrate:

·         Hands-on design experience in at least one relevant power electronics area, such as switched-mode power supplies, DC–DC conversion, active rectification, battery charging or inverter power stages. You should be able to explain your own design decisions and the measured behaviour of the hardware.

·         Practical experience, bringing up, debugging and validating electronic hardware, with a sound grounding in analogue and digital circuit design.Understanding of switching devices, gate-drive requirements, passive components, power losses, component ratings and protection against electrical faults.

·         Working understanding of voltage and current regulation, feedback and stability, sufficient to analyse and test power converter behaviour with support appropriate to your level.

·         Experience of schematic capture and PCB development software tools, and an understanding of how layout affects switching performance, noise and temperature.

·         Ability to use circuit calculations and simulation, alongside measurements, to assess a design and investigate discrepancies.

·         Confidence using oscilloscopes, suitable voltage and current probes, programmable supplies and electronic loads, with an understanding of safe measurement practices on power circuits.

·         Familiarity with microcontroller-based hardware and hardware–firmware integration, including sensing and common communications interfaces.

·         A systematic approach to troubleshooting, clear technical documentation and effective collaboration across engineering disciplines.

A degree in Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent practical engineering experience, is appropriate. Assessment will focus on relevant capability and delivery rather than a fixed number of years or a particular qualification route.