Lead Electrical Engineer, Power Conversion & Integration

Lazarus; Hawthorne (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Medical, dental & vision insurance

Fully stocked kitchen

Job summary

Lazarus in Hawthorne, CA seeks a Lead Electrical Engineer to own the full electrical power conversion architecture for our MW-class turbine project, from architecture to production. Working with the founders, you will specify requirements, lead design and procurement, integrate hardware, and validate via real-world testing, shaping make-or-buy decisions.

This is a high-impact role for someone with hands-on power electronics experience and strong leadership, in a fast-moving startup setting with

Qualifications

• Strong fundamentals in electrical machines, motor drives, power conversion, grounding, protection, or EMI/EMC.
• Experience specifying, integrating, testing, or operating high-power electrical hardware.
• Hands-on experience with electrical bring-up, instrumentation, debugging, and test execution.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills and a willingness to learn / teach.

Responsibilities

• Own the generator to load/grid electrical architecture for the Lazarus power turbine.
• Define technical requirements for the high-speed generator, drives / active rectifiers, DC-link hardware, transformers, protection equipment, switchgear, grounding, EMI/EMC, etc.
• Lead vendor selection, technical evaluation, procurement, and on-going vendor management for the power conversion system.
• Integrate generator, drive, controls, and all other power electronics systems with hands-on support for checkout, commissioning, debugging, and test campaigns.
• Help scale the system from MW-class demonstrator to production while focusing on cost-effectiveness and manufacturability.
• At scale, decide which components of the electrical stack should be manufactured in-house and lead their respective designs and developments.

Skills

Electrical machines

Motor drives

Power conversion

EMI/EMC

Vendor evaluation

Hands-on assembly & test

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in electrical engineering

Job description

Lead Electrical Engineer:
Power Conversion & Integration

Industrial power turbines haven't seen meaningful innovation in over a century. We believe that the modern world should not be limited by energy. Lazarus is a team with over 50 years of turbomachinery analysis, design, and testing experience. We are building the next generation of power conversion technologies that will solve today’s power demands and tomorrow’s renewable energy future. This is a rare chance to help define a new era of hardware energy products by leading core technology development from concept to test and production.

Lazarus is post-stealth and pre-series A. We are moving incredibly fast with a talented team in place, hardware in the door, and active testing underway. We are currently building a MW-class system to fire with natural gas and then integrate with nuclear heat before the end of 2027.

Role Overview

This role owns the full electrical power conversion architecture for our turbines. Working directly with the technical founders, you’ll set requirements, drive initial design and procurement, integrate hardware, and validate and test in the real world.
This is a deep, first principles role. You will be owning the MW-class drive from architecture and requirements through initial procurement, testing, validation, and scale. You will communicate with and select the right vendors, evaluate proposed solutions, and drive a system focused on cost-effectiveness and scalable manufacturing. After the initial test campaign, you will also help define and design what Lazarus builds in house versus what we continue to outsource. This role comprises end-to-end ownership of the power electronics from initial architecture all the way through production.

Responsibilities

Own the generator to load/grid electrical architecture for the Lazarus power turbine

Define technical requirements for the high-speed generator, drives / active rectifiers, DC-link hardware, transformers, protection equipment, switchgear, grounding, EMI/EMC, etc.

Lead vendor selection, technical evaluation, procurement, and on-going vendor management for the power conversion system

Integrate generator, drive, controls, and all other power electronics systems with hands-on support for checkout, commissioning, debugging, and test campaigns.

Help scale the system from MW-class demonstrator to production while focusing on cost-effectiveness and manufacturability

At scale, decide which components of the electrical stack should be manufactured in-house and lead their respective designs and developments.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or higher in electrical engineering or similar.

Strong fundamentals in electrical machines, motor drives, power conversion, grounding, protection, or EMI/EMC.

Experience specifying, integrating, testing, or operating high-power electrical hardware.

Ability to evaluate vendor designs, datasheets, proposals, test data, and tradeoffs with strong technical judgment.

Hands-on experience with electrical bring-up, instrumentation, debugging, and test execution.

Excellent communication and leadership skills and a willingness to learn / teach

Preferred Experiences

High-speed (>10,000 RPM) rotating electrical machines and their high frequency drives.

Generator/drive integration on turbomachinery or other rotating hardware.

MW-class power electronics and grid/load synchronization.

Experience interfacing drives, inverters, or power electronics with controls systems via CAN, EtherCAT, Modbus, PLCs, or similar protocols

Familiarity with industrial electrical safety, grounding, isolation, protection, and code-compliant electrical installation practices.

Early stage or start-up experience.

US salary range: $180,000 - $260,000

Meaningful equity ownership

Company wide medical, dental, and vision insurance

Fully stocked kitchen with snacks, coffee, and lunch