Principal Electrical Engineer

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Principal Electrical Engineer

Job Description Position Summary The Principal Electrical Engineer – Power Electronics will lead the design and development of low-cost, high-efficiency coil driver amplifiers for distributed motion control architectures.

This position focuses on current-controlled power electronics systems used to drive large arrays of electromagnetic actuators. The system architecture includes FPGA-based current loop control, PWM generation, and Ether

CAT distributed communication networks .The role will directly contribute to the development of a scalable distributed coil control platform , supporting applications such as levitation systems and next-generation robotic actuation platforms.

Key Responsibilities Power Electronics Design Design and develop coil driver amplifiers using half-bridge and H-bridge topologies

Support systems operating at DC bus voltages up to 200VOptimize for efficiency, cost, and reliability in high-volume applications

Address observed prototype issues including:

PCB reliability and component failures

Noise in current feedback loops

Interconnect robustness and serviceability

Current Control System Development Develop and optimize closed-loop current control systems , including:

Precision current sensing (shunt + amplifier)
PI/PID control loops

Low-latency feedback control

Ensure stable operation across:

Wide variation in coil inductance

Large numbers of independently controlled coils

FPGA and Digital Control Integration Implement or co-develop:

Current loop control algorithms on FPGA platforms

High-performance PWM generation

Interface with multi-channel control architectures using:
Parallel or synchronous SPI communication

Distributed System Architecture Develop driver modules operating within a distributed Ether

CAT control network

Support scalable architectures capable of controlling:

Tens to hundreds of actuators per subsystem

Collaborate with system teams on partitioning control between:
Central controllers and distributed driver nodes

Hardware Development and Validation Select and design:

MOSFETs, gate drivers, and current sensing circuits

Protection and filtering circuitry (snubbers, transient suppression)
Lead PCB-level implementation including layout guidance for:

High-current switching paths

Noise-sensitive analog measurement circuits

Define and execute design verification testing (DVT)
Cost and Reliability Optimization Design to meet aggressive cost targets:

Drive design trade-offs balancing:

Performance Manufacturability Scalability Improve  system KPIs including:

Standby power consumption

Thermal efficiency

Mean time between failures (MTBF)

Required Qualifications Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering Minimum 8 years of experience in power electronics design

Strong expertise in:

MOSFET-based power stages (half/full bridge)
Medium voltage DC systems (up to ~200V)
Hands-on experience with:

Current sensing techniques (shunt, differential amplifiers)
Control loop design (PI/PID)
Experience designing systems for:

EMI/EMC robustness

Thermal performance

Reliability and failure analysis

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with FPGA-based control systems (e.g., Lattice, Xilinx, Zynq)
Familiarity with:

Ether

CAT or distributed real-time control networks

Experience with :

Motor drives (BLDC, SRM)
Electromagnetic or multi-coil actuator systems

Experience in:

High-channel-count control systems

Real-time embedded control architectures

Key Competencies Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Ability to lead complex hardware development efforts

Cross-functional collaboration across electrical, controls,…