Principal Power Electronics Engineer

Ampere Recruitment; Guildford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Ampere Recruitment supports a growing automotive technology company in recruiting a Principal Power Electronics Engineer. The role focuses on end-to-end development of EV traction power electronics, from concept to production, with technical leadership across multidisciplinary teams.

Based in Surrey, the role involves UK and international travel to suppliers and partners, including China, and reports to the Electronics Manager.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Power Electronics Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years R&D experience with inverters for electric motors.
• Hands-on experience designing and testing 400V+, 50kW-300kW power electronics systems.
• Strong SiC/GaN and gate driver application knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Own the power electronics development strategy, technical roadmap and design reviews.
• Lead end-to-end EV traction power electronics development from concept to production.
• Ensure efficiency, power density, reliability and performance targets.
• Lead prototype bring-up, hardware debugging, DV/PV testing and EMC/EMI.
• Ensure ISO 26262 and automotive HV safety standards compliance.
• Collaborate with software, mechanical, manufacturing and quality teams; liaise with Tier-2 suppliers.
• Mentor junior and senior engineers.

Skills

Power electronics

EV inverter design

SiC/GaN knowledge

Gate driver design

Circuit modelling

Thermal analysis

EMC/EMI design

DFMEA / Functional safety

Product lifecycle experience

PCB layout experience

Education

Master's degree in Power Electronics Engineering

Tools

SPICE

PLECS

FEA

PCB Design Software

Job description

Principal Power Electronics Engineer

Surrey

Ampere Recruitment is working with a growing automotive technology company looking for a Principal Power Electronics Engineer to take ownership of their power electronics development.

The Role

This role leads the end-to-end development of EV traction power electronics, from concept through to production, working across multidisciplinary engineering teams and providing technical leadership on power electronics strategy.

Reports to the Electronics Manager. Based in Surrey, with occasional UK and international travel to suppliers and partners, including China.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the power electronics development strategy, technical roadmap and design reviews
• Accountable for efficiency, power density, reliability and performance targets
• Lead design of EV traction inverter systems (50kW-300kW, 400V/800V), including power stages using IGBT/SiC MOSFET technology, gate drive circuits, DC-link and protection circuits
• Run electrical, thermal and electromagnetic simulations (SPICE, PLECS, FEA) and analyse losses and fault behaviour
• Work with mechanical teams on thermal architecture and ensure junction temperature and lifetime targets are met
• Lead prototype bring-up, hardware debugging, root-cause analysis and DV/PV testing, including EMC/EMI
• Ensure compliance with ISO 26262 and automotive HV safety standards
• Collaborate with software, mechanical, manufacturing and quality teams, and liaise with Tier-2 suppliers
• Support design for manufacturability, production launch and continuous improvement
• Mentor junior and senior engineers

What You'll Need

Essential:

• Master's degree in Power Electronics Engineering or a related subject
• 8+ years' R&D experience with inverters for electric motors
• Hands-on experience designing and testing 400V+, 50kW-300kW power electronics systems
• Strong SiC/GaN and gate driver application knowledge
• Experience in electrical, thermal or electromagnetic modelling and simulation
• Experience across multiple full product development lifecycles
• Practical PCBA schematic and layout software experience

Desirable:

• Insulation coordination knowledge
• EMC design, verification and troubleshooting
• Electromagnetic FEA simulation experience
• Familiarity with automotive legislation and standards
• Understanding of motor control and sensors
• Component stress, de-rating and reliability estimation
• Functional safety design to ISO 26262 and use of DFMEA