About this role
Staff Power Electronics Engineer
Location: Fremont, California
Position Overview
Pivotal Systems is seeking an experienced Staff Power Electronics Engineer to lead the design, development, validation, and production of advanced power-electronic systems used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
The Staff Power Electronics Engineer will serve as a technical leader across power-conversion architecture, circuit design, magnetics, controls, thermal management, hardware validation, and system integration. This position requires strong hands-on engineering skills as well as the ability to drive complex projects from concept through production.
The ideal candidate has deep expertise in power electronics and a proven track record of developing high-reliability power systems in a demanding industrial or semiconductor-equipment environment.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead the architecture and development of AC/DC, DC/DC, and other power-conversion systems for semiconductor equipment.
• Design and optimize high-power switching converters, power supplies, motor drives, and associated power-distribution circuitry.
• Develop detailed electrical schematics, component selections, design calculations, and hardware specifications.
• Select and evaluate power semiconductors including MOSFETs, IGBTs, diodes, SiC, and GaN devices where appropriate.
• Design and review magnetic components including transformers, inductors, current transformers, and associated filtering networks.
• Develop gate-drive, sensing, protection, current/voltage measurement, and control circuits.
• Analyze switching losses, efficiency, thermal performance, EMI/EMC, transient behavior, and system reliability.
• Lead PCB design reviews with particular attention to high-current routing, creepage/clearance, grounding, parasitics, thermal management, and manufacturability.
• Develop and execute engineering verification and validation plans.
• Troubleshoot complex hardware issues using oscilloscopes, power analyzers, electronic loads, current probes, thermal cameras, and other laboratory equipment.
• Perform circuit simulation and modeling to validate designs before hardware implementation.
• Lead root-cause analysis of electrical, power, thermal, and reliability failures.
• Work closely with firmware, controls, mechanical, systems, manufacturing, quality, and field-service engineering teams.
• Support design-for-manufacturing and transition of new power-electronics products into production.
• Establish technical standards, design guidelines, and best practices for power-electronics development.
• Mentor junior and senior engineers and provide technical leadership across multiple projects.
• Participate in supplier and component qualification, including evaluation of alternate components and second sources.
• Support customer and field issues involving power-electronics hardware and provide technically rigorous corrective actions.
• Drive continuous improvement in system efficiency, reliability, cost, manufacturability, and serviceability.
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, or a related field.
• Typically 8+ years of professional experience in power electronics or a closely related discipline.
• Strong understanding of power-conversion topologies, switching devices, magnetics, feedback/control loops, and power-system fundamentals.
• Demonstrated experience taking power-electronics hardware from concept through prototype, validation, and production.
• Strong hands-on laboratory and hardware-debugging experience.
• Experience with high-voltage and/or high-power electrical systems.
• Proficiency with schematic capture and PCB design/review tools.
• Experience with power-electronics simulation tools such as LTspice, PSpice, MATLAB/Simulink, or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of EMI/EMC, grounding, shielding, filtering, and signal integrity.
• Experience with thermal analysis and component derating.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, PCB layouts, datasheets, and system-level specifications.
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and technical leadership skills.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience designing power electronics for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, industrial automation, robotics, motion systems, or other high-reliability equipment.
• Experience with three-phase power systems, motor drives, servo systems, or industrial power distribution.
• Experience with high-voltage DC buses and isolated/non-isolated DC/DC converters.
• Experience with SiC or GaN power devices.
• Knowledge of digital control of power converters and embedded control systems.
• Experience with functional safety, electrical safety, and applicable industry standards.
• Familiarity with UL, IEC, CE, SEMI, or other relevant equipment standards.
• Experience with DFM/DFT, production test development, and manufacturing transfer.
• Experience leading cross-functional engineering programs.
• Experience working directly with semiconductor equipment customers or field-service organizations.