Contract Power Electronics Engineer Jobs in Virginia

Job Description About the Role Pinnacle Partners is recruiting for a Senior Power Electronics Engineer in Sterling, VA. This is a hands-on engineering position focused on the design, development, testing, and production of high-voltage and high-current industrial power electronics systems. The ideal candidate will have experience designing power conversion systems, working with three-phase power and switching devices, performing electrical and thermal calculations, and personally bringing up, troubleshooting, and validating high-power prototype hardware.

Key Responsibilities: Design AC/DC and DC/DC power conversion circuits and systems. Develop high-voltage, high-current, and three-phase power systems. Design power circuitry utilizing SCRs, MOSFETs, IGBTs, gate drivers, and related switching components.

Design sensing, isolation, control, and protection circuitry. Develop electrical schematics and provide technical guidance for PCB layout. Select power semiconductor devices and supporting electrical components.

Select capacitors, fuses, contactors, relays, protection devices, and other components required for overall power systems. Perform electrical calculations to properly size and select components. Perform thermal calculations and evaluate thermal performance of high-power designs.

Utilize simulation tools to evaluate power electronics designs before and during prototype development. Design around grounding, isolation, creepage, clearance, and other high-voltage safety requirements. Bring up and personally test prototype hardware.

Troubleshoot and diagnose high-voltage/high-current hardware issues in the laboratory. Validate designs against performance and reliability requirements. Support EMI/EMC testing.

Support UL/IEC and other applicable safety certification activities. Support prototype development through manufacturing and production. Work cross-functionally with controls, embedded, hardware, mechanical, and manufacturing engineering teams.

Take independent ownership of hardware designs from initial concept through prototype testing and production. Move between electrical calculations, simulation, schematic design, component selection, prototype testing, and troubleshooting. Support the development of complex power infrastructure systems used in data centers and other advanced technology environments.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field. Hands-on power electronics hardware design experience. Experience designing actual high-voltage and high-current power systems.

Strong understanding of power conversion and analog circuit design. Experience with AC/DC and/or DC/DC power conversion. Experience working with three-phase power systems.

Experience designing with power semiconductor and switching devices such as IGBTs, MOSFETs, SCRs, or similar technologies. Understanding of gate driver circuitry. Experience designing sensing, isolation, control, and protection circuitry.

Ability to develop electrical schematics and understand PCB design/layout considerations for high-power electronics. Strong component selection experience. Ability to perform electrical and thermal calculations related to power electronics designs.

Understanding of grounding, isolation, creepage, and clearance requirements. Strong hands-on laboratory, prototype bring-up, troubleshooting, and validation experience. Ability to independently take ownership of a hardware design rather than only supporting portions of another engineer's design.

Ability to explain the voltage and current levels personally designed around. Ability to work effectively in a small, fast-moving, highly hands-on engineering environment. Ability to work onsite in Sterling, VA.

Preferred: 7+ years of power electronics engineering experience for Senior-level candidates. Experience with Altium Designer or a similar professional electronics design platform. Broad experience with power semiconductors including SCRs, IGBTs, MOSFETs, gate drivers, and related switching technologies.

Experience with power electronics circuit simulation tools. EMI/EMC testing experience. UL/IEC safety certification experience.

Experience integrating digital controls into power electronics systems. Industrial power equipment experience. UPS experience.

Power distribution experience. Energy conversion experience. Motor drive experience.

Inverter experience. Data center power experience. Experience with high-voltage/high-current industrial equipment.

Strong system-level power electronics design experience. Experience developing overall electrical architecture rather than simply executing an existing design. Understanding of how power conversion, switching, sensing, control, protection, isolation, and thermal systems interact at the system level.

Experience working with complex high-energy systems such as 600+ VAC three-phase, approximately 800 VDC, or 800+ amp applications. Benefits Overview: $120K-$170K base salary depending on experience. Performance bonus.

Paid time off. 401(k) retirement plan with company match. Comprehensive health insurance.

Dental insurance. Vision insurance. Relocation assistance available for qualified candidates.

Collaborative, high-energy workplace. Opportunity to work on true high-voltage, high-current, three-phase power systems. Hands-on involvement throughout the full development lifecycle from concept and design through prototype testing, validation, certification, manufacturing, and production.

Opportunity to work with AC/DC and DC/DC conversion, IGBTs, MOSFETs, SCRs, gate drivers, sensing, isolation, protection, thermal design, and digital power control. Exposure to complex power infrastructure supporting data centers and advanced technology environments. Opportunity for meaningful technical ownership within a small engineering organization.

Cross-functional exposure to hardware, embedded, digital controls, mechanical, manufacturing, and other engineering disciplines. Explore More Engineering Opportunities This role falls within our Engineering/Manufacturing division, where we specialize in placing professionals in areas such as: Mechanical/Electrical Engineering Manufacturing/Process Engineering Controls Engineering Project Engineering Technical Sales Operations / Plant Engineering Explore additional Engineering roles and learn more about how we support Engineering professionals: Find Jobs or Manufacturing & Engineering Opportunities Not the right fit. We're hiring across multiple divisions including: Human Resources Administrative & Customer Service Information Technology Accounting & Finance #ENG123.