Senior Power Electronics Engineer

Posted 6 Days Ago
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Hawthorne, CA, USA
In-Office
175K-200K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Industrial • Manufacturing
The Role
Lead architecture, design, integration, and verification of high-power converters and inverters exceeding 10 kW for aerospace motion and electrical systems. Responsibilities include power-stage and gate-drive design, thermal and EMI/EMC strategy, high-voltage PCB design, prototype bring-up, lab testing, root-cause analysis, verification documentation, supplier selection, and manufacturing transition. Collaborate with controls, firmware, mechanical, and manufacturing teams to deliver reliable, mission-ready hardware.
Summary Generated by Built In

**Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) to meet customer and regulatory requirements**
Who We Are

We are pioneering modular motion technologies to power the next generation of innovation for Industrial, Aerospace and Defense. If you're excited about disrupting legacy industries, and passionate about building next generation technology, let's chat!

We are at the forefront of innovation, crafting exclusive motion control components that propel the industrial, aerospace, and defense sectors into the future. 

A couple other things:

  • We are open to relocating you
  • We have great benefits
  • We are well funded, and generating revenue
  • We are located in beautiful Hawthorne, CA and just moved into a new large hangar facility
Role Summary

We are hiring a Senior Power Electronics Engineer to lead the design and integration of high-power (>10 kW) power conversion hardware for aerospace motion and electrical systems. You will own key power-stage architecture decisions, drive prototype bring-up and verification, and partner with controls, firmware, mechanical, and manufacturing teams to deliver flight- and mission-ready hardware.

What you'll do:

  • Architect and design high-power converters/inverters (>10 kW) for aerospace electrical and motion control products, balancing efficiency, power density, and reliability
  • Select and apply Si, SiC, and/or GaN power devices (as appropriate) and design gate-drive, controller, feedback stability, magnetic components including power inductors and transformers, sensing, and protection (short-circuit, overcurrent, over/undervoltage, thermal, desaturation)
  • Design topologies and the power stage (DC bus, precharge/discharge, snubbers/clamps, current sensing, filtering) and define safe operating envelopes and derating at given environments
  • Drive thermal design with mechanical engineering (heatsinks, cold plates, airflow/liquid cooling) and validate junction-to-ambient performance including loss breakdown, thermal analysis
  • Own EMI/EMC strategy for aerospace environments: grounding, shielding, layout constraints, conducted/radiated mitigation, filter design, and test readiness
  • Lead schematic capture and review PCB layout for low-inductance, high-current/high-voltage design; ensure creepage/clearance, isolation, and safety best practices
  • Plan and execute prototype bring-up and high-power lab testing with safe procedures; debug failures and perform root-cause analysis
  • Define verification plans and acceptance criteria and produce clear, review-ready test reports and evidence packages; support supplier/parts selection and DFM/DFT as designs transition to manufacturing

What you need:

  • 7+ years (or equivalent depth) in power electronics design and product development
  • Strong experience with power converter/inverter topologies, architecture, device selection, gate-drive design, controller selection, feedback gain, stability margin, protection, and high-voltage, high-current PCB/layout practices
  • Hands-on bring-up and debug experience with high-power hardware (safe lab practices, oscilloscopes, HV differential probes, current probes, power analyzers, network/stability analyzers)
  • Ability to take designs from concept through prototype, verification, and production readiness with clear documentation to meet special and mission-oriented applications’ requirement

Nice to haves:

  • Demonstrated work on high-power systems (>10 kW)
    Aerospace experience: qualification mindset, configuration control, and familiarity with relevant test practices and EMI/EMC test workflows
  • Motor drive experience: three-phase inverters for BLDC/PMSM, sensing, DC bus design, regen handling, and protection timing considerations
  • High-voltage design experience (e.g., 200-800 VDC class) including isolation strategy and creepage/clearance design
  • Power factor, total harmonic current distortion and EMI/EMC success in shipped products (e.g., MIL-STD-461/DO-160 standard specs) and ability to design for compliance early
  • Safety qualification experience such as leakage current, ESD, lightning and surge test
  • Circuit Simulation familiarity (LTspice/PLECS/Simetrix/Simplis/Simulink or similar) for validation and trade-off
  • PCB CAD and layout tool experience and familiarity

Export Control
This role supports aerospace programs and may involve export-controlled information or hardware. Candidates must be able to comply with applicable export control laws and access requirements.

What we have to offer:

We are not just building components. We are reshaping the future of the Aerospace and Defense component industry, which is a $300B+ market! Come join us and help build next generation systems that will make a massive impact at global scale.

  • We offer competitive compensation: $175,000 to $200,000 base salary + equity
  • Exceptional healthcare benefits, Medical is 100% covered by the company
  • Flexible PTO 
  • 401K
  • More to come!

Skills Required

  • 7+ years or equivalent depth in power electronics design and product development
  • Strong experience with power converter and inverter topologies, architecture, device selection, gate-drive design, controller selection, feedback gain, stability margin, protection, and high-voltage/high-current PCB layout
  • Hands-on bring-up and debugging experience with high-power hardware, including safe lab practices and oscilloscopes, HV differential probes, current probes, power analyzers, and network/stability analyzers
  • Ability to take designs from concept through prototype, verification, and production readiness with clear documentation
  • Demonstrated work on high-power systems exceeding 10 kW
  • Aerospace experience, including qualification mindset, configuration control, and EMI/EMC test workflows
  • Motor drive experience with three-phase BLDC/PMSM inverters, sensing, DC bus design, regenerative handling, and protection timing
  • High-voltage design experience in the 200–800 VDC range, including isolation and creepage/clearance design
  • Power factor, total harmonic current distortion, and EMI/EMC compliance experience in shipped products
  • Experience with MIL-STD-461 or DO-160 standards and test specifications
  • Safety qualification experience involving leakage current, ESD, lightning, and surge testing
  • Circuit simulation familiarity with LTspice, PLECS, Simetrix, Simplis, Simulink, or similar tools
  • PCB CAD and layout tool experience
  • U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent residency due to customer, regulatory, and export-control requirements
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The Company
Irvine, CA
11 Employees
Year Founded: 2022

What We Do

Salient Motion’s answer to the national security imperative and present market deficiency is to develop an electric motion operating system. We’re refining our core algorithms as we develop standalone inverters, web-based configuration and analytics platforms, and performant motors made with domestic resources that are accessible to businesses large and small.

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