Staff Power Electronics Engineer

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.