Staff Power Engineer, Inverter

Archer, an aerospace company in San Jose, is seeking a Staff Power Engineer to lead the design and development of high-voltage, high-power-density motor controllers for eVTOL aircraft. The role involves full ownership of power electronics hardware from specification through production, including circuit design, PCB layout, prototyping, and verification testing. The engineer will work with a multidisciplinary team to bring new designs from concept to manufacturing, ensuring they meet functional and performance specifications.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop high voltage, high power density motor controller for eVTOL applications
• Responsible for all aspects of power electronics designs required in an all-electric aircraft, from components to circuits, modules and system integration
• Passive component design and optimization in power electronics systems
• EMC testing and analysis for various power electronics systems
• Leads new designs from conception into production while working with a multidisciplinary team
• Start to finish ownership of hardware – from specification to design, prototype, reliability validation and manufacturing
• Design MOSFET gate drive circuit, electronic power supply and sensing circuits
• Schematic, layout and PCB assembly design and review
• Design and carry out prototype verification tests for proof of concept
• Analyze test data and reports to determine if the design meets functional and performance specifications.
• Troubleshoot and help root cause any issues that occur in the prototype line.

Requirements

• Electrical Engineering Degree or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of relevant electrical system and circuit board design experience.
• Sound knowledge and hands-on experience in traditional and modern power electronic technologies including (not limited to):
• Inverter technology for variable speed motor drive (MOSFET, rectifiers and gate driver PWM technologies).
• Passive power devices, e.g. inductors, capacitors, resistors and transformers.
• Power electronics system architecture design and hardware integration.
• Motor drive and power converters (AC-DC, DC-DC, DC-AC) control technologies.
• Motor control and commutation methods for various types of three phase motors.
• Microcontrollers
• Sensor technology and implementation
• Gate drive design for wide bandgap devices (SiC and GaN)
• Experience with 50kW-200kW inverters at 400V-1000V
• Experience in using schematic capture and circuit simulation software (e.g. Altium Designer or Xpedition).
• Experience performing circuit design analyses such as worst-case circuit analysis, fault analysis, and lifetime estimation
• Master of all types of lab instruments: oscilloscope, EMC analyzers etc.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills

Nice to have

• PCB layout experience is strongly preferred
• Hands on experience with DO-160G testing and DO-254 development
• Ph. D. in power electronics
• Embedded firmware development experience
• Passion for aviation and eVTOL

Benefits

• Archer is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants with physical or mental disabilities, and those with sincerely held religious beliefs. Applicants who may require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should provide their name and contact information to Archer’s People Team at [email protected]. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis. For this position we are targeting a base pay between $172,800 - $216,000. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.