Lead Engineer - Electric Drives Software

Wabtec Careers; Erie (Erie County); On-site; USD 71,500 - 98,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement benefits

Annual bonus eligibility

Job summary

Wabtec Careers is seeking a Lead Engineer for their Erie County, NY location. The role involves designing and validating embedded software for control systems critical to locomotives and off-highway vehicles. Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field and at least 4 years of experience in embedded software development in C/C++. Benefits include health, welfare, retirement, and a salary range of $71,500–$98,100, influenced by experience and market demands.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 years of hands-on experience developing control software for electric drives.
• Strong embedded software development skills in C/C++, capable of optimizing performance.
• Solid electrical engineering foundation with knowledge of power electronics converter topologies.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and validate embedded software for power electronics controllers.
• Define application requirements and system architecture for power control systems.
• Collaborate to support organizational initiatives and resolve engineering challenges.

Skills

Embedded software development in C/C++

Control software for electric drives

Debugging complex systems

Knowledge of power electronics

Understanding of electric motor fundamentals

MATLAB

Simulink

Perforce

System-level testing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Physics, or related field

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent

Tools

Xilinx Zynq FPGAs

Motorola PowerPC

Job description

Who will you be working with?

You will be part of a global engineering team specializing in Drives Control and Power Electronics for locomotives and off highway vehicles products, supporting critical traction, auxiliary, and energy conversion products. The team is distributed across the United States, India (Bengaluru), and Brazil, and works closely with systems, hardware, software, validation, and manufacturing stakeholders.

The group includes senior technical experts and emerging engineers with deep experience in control software, power electronics hardware, system architecture, simulation (HIL/Opal‑RT), and component validation.

The team operates in a highly collaborative manner, with frequent cross‑location technical reviews, design discussions, and problem‑solving sessions.

You will work closely with experienced engineers and technical leaders on business‑critical programs, contributing to both new product development and sustaining/obsolescence initiatives, while adhering to strong engineering, safety, and compliance standards.

How will you make a difference?

The Lead Engineer will design, develop, and validate C and C++ embedded software for power electronics drive controllers, including Traction Motor Controllers (TMC) and Auxiliary Logic Controllers (ALC). These systems deliver critical traction and auxiliary functionality for locomotives and off‑highway mining trucks.

This role provides technical and organizational leadership by clearly communicating business objectives, program priorities, and engineering processes within a defined business segment. You will apply deep technical expertise to solve complex problems, establish and execute engineering objectives for yourself and others, and drive both short‑term deliverables and longer‑term strategic initiatives.

What will your typical day look like?

• Define application requirements, system architecture, specifications, and verification/validation strategies for power‑electronics drive control systems.
• Develop application‑layer embedded software in C for Xilinx Zynq FPGAs, Motorola PowerPC, and legacy processors supporting drives control for locomotives and off‑highway vehicles (OHV).
• Design, refine, and maintain control algorithms for power electronics converters—including AC‑DC, DC‑DC, and DC‑AC topologies—such as traction inverters, active front‑end converters, dual active bridge converters, and related systems supporting traction motor drives, auxiliary blowers, choppers, blower motors, battery charging, and other auxiliary loads.
• Establish technical ownership of next‑generation control architectures and implementations centered on Zynq FPGA and embedded processor platforms.
• Support system‑level integration of controllers and components into locomotive and off‑highway mining truck platforms.
• Investigate software reliability issues in electric drive systems, performing root‑cause analysis and implementing corrective actions.
• Evaluate and contribute to the conceptual development of new electric drives control technologies and applications.
• Execute design, analysis, and evaluation activities in accordance with sound engineering principles, business standards, and applicable product and program requirements.
• Collaborate in cross‑functional team assignments to support organizational initiatives and resolve common engineering challenges.
• Ensure accurate and complete documentation of technical data in compliance with established engineering policies and procedures.
• Drive innovation through the development of improved control algorithms, enhanced diagnostics, higher product reliability, advanced data analysis techniques, improved runtime software interfaces, and more effective troubleshooting approaches.

What do we want to know about you?

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent is a plus.
• Minimum 4 years of hands‑on experience developing control software for electric drives and power electronics (inverters, AFE rectifiers, DC‑DC converters).
• Strong embedded software development skills in C/C++, with experience using MATLAB, Simulink, and Perforce; capable of debugging complex systems and optimizing performance, latency, and reliability.
• Experience with modern embedded processor platforms and best practices in embedded development and model‑based design.
• Solid electrical engineering foundation with in-depth knowledge of power electronics converter topologies and their control algorithms.
• Strong understanding of electric motor fundamentals, torque/speed control methods, and related electrical machines.
• Working knowledge of digital control systems, DSP concepts, and digital I/O, including filtering and stability analysis.
• Experience with software development, validation, and system‑level testing for transportation or industrial drive systems; exposure to locomotive or traction systems preferred.
• Willingness to work hands‑on in lab and field environments with high‑power electrical systems.

You may also be asked to perform other duties outside of your function or trade, for which adequate training will be provided if necessary.

More information on offered benefits, which include health, welfare, and retirement.

Wabtec will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen (as applicable) and fitness for duty test (as applicable).

Additional Information

The salary range for this role is currently $71,500–$98,100. The actual salary offered may be influenced by factors such as training, transferable skills, work experience, education, business needs, market demands, and work location. Additional benefits include health, welfare, and retirement, and may include an annual bonus if eligible.

We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome talent of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities, including race, gender, age, disability, veteran status, and more.

Need accommodation? Just let us know – we’ve got you.