Lead Power Electronics Engineer – High-Power Inverter Systems

Sapphire Technologies; Cypress (CA); On-site; USD 144,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) retirement plan with company"

Competitive benefits package

Job summary

Sapphire Technologies seeks a Lead Power Electronics Engineer to architect, develop, validate, and launch advanced inverter systems for high-speed rotating machinery. You will drive the system design for a major new data-center platform integrating high-power electronics, speed machines, liquid cooling, and precision controls, with hands-on lab work and notable travel.

The role combines technical leadership with system-level optimization, cost reduction, and manufacturing readiness, partnering

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering with emphasis in power electronics or equivalent
• 8+ years of industry experience developing medium- or high-power with liquid-cooled power, inverters, motor drives, converters, or related industrial electronics.
• 3+ yrs with technical leadership and cross-functional communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience defining power electronics architecture and leading products through design, validation, certification, and production.
• Strong understanding of three-phase inverter systems, modulation methods, semiconductor switching behavior, protection, and power quality.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Sapphire's primary technical authority for the inverter system.
• Translate system and customer requirements into inverter architecture, technical specifications, and interface requirements.
• Lead topology selection and trade studies involving semiconductor technology, switching frequency, losses, and harmonic performance.
• Lead the design and validation of power stages, gate drives, DC-link systems, filters, sensing, protection circuits, and high-power interconnections.
• Define and manage electrical, mechanical, and thermal interfaces, including water-cooled cold plates, coolant requirements, and temperature limits.
• Drive cost reduction through architecture optimization, supplier engagement, and design for manufacturing.
• Coordinate with certification engineers and external bodies to ensure compliance early in design.
• Support EMC/EMI, electrical safety, environmental and UL/IEC certification testing.
• Define production-test requirements and support NPI, supplier qualification, and manufacturing scale-up.
• Mentor engineers and manage work by contractors and external partners.

Skills

Power electronics

Liquid-cooled power

Inverters and motor drives

System architecture

Cross-functional leadership

MATLAB/Simulink

High-voltage interfaces

PCB/system integration

SiC-based inverters

Education

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering with emphasis in power electronics

Tools

Altium

LTspice

PLECS

Job description

About Us

Sapphire Technologies delivers power and cooling to energy infrastructure. Our FreeSpin® In-line Turboexpander recovers the energy wasted when high-pressure gas is stepped down, converting it into clean electricity and low-temperature cooling. To better serve our customers in the data center industry, we are now expanding our high-speed turbomachinery offerings into oil-free compressors for chilling applications.

Our hands-on engineering team takes products from concept to field deployment, with work spanning rotating machinery, power electronics, controls, and systems integration.

We are a mission-driven organization with one common goal: building a more sustainable world. Our employees are our biggest asset, and we are looking for change agents to join us on our journey.

Position Summary

Sapphire Technologies is seeking a Lead Power Electronics Engineer to lead the architecture, development, validation, and production launch of advanced inverter systems for high-speed rotating machinery.

The role will support a major new product platform serving rapidly growing data-center infrastructure applications. The system integrates high-power electronics, high-speed electric machines, active magnetic bearings, liquid cooling, controls, and precision electromechanical hardware and is expected to undergo a significant production scale-up.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role with primary responsibility for inverter system architecture, power-stage design, cost reduction, design for manufacturing, thermal integration, validation, and certification readiness. The successful candidate will work closely with mechanical, controls, manufacturing, supply chain, certification, and Calnetix engineering teams. Hands-on laboratory and prototype-development work is required. Approximately10% travel may be required for suppliers, certification testing, customers, commissioning, or field support.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as Sapphire's primary technical authority for the inverter system.


• Translate system and customer requirements into inverter architecture, technical specifications, and interface requirements.


• Lead topology selection and trade studies involving:
  
  
  
  • Semiconductor technology and switching frequency
  
  
  • Switching and conduction losses
  
  
  • Harmonic performance and filter losses
  
  
  • Efficiency, power density, thermal margin, cost, and manufacturability
  
  
  
  


• Lead the design and validation of power stages, gate drives, DC-link systems, filters, sensing, protection circuits, bus structures, and high-power interconnections.


• Define and manage electrical, mechanical, and thermal interfaces, including water-cooled cold plates, coolant requirements, pressure-drop constraints, and component junction-temperature limits.


• Drive cost reduction through architecture optimization, component standardization, supplier engagement, value engineering, and design for manufacturing and assembly.


• Coordinate with Sapphire's certification engineer and external certifying bodies to ensure compliance requirements are incorporated into the design early.


• Support EMC/EMI, electrical safety, environmental, and applicable UL and IEC certification testing.


• Define production-test requirements and support new-product introduction, supplier qualification, and manufacturing scale-up.


• Support root-cause investigations for production and field issues.


• Mentor engineers and manage technical work performed by contractors and external development partners.

Base Pay Range

Salary range: $143,993 - $194,815

Required Qualifications

• Masters degree in Electrical Engineering with emphasis in power electronics or equivalent experience, similar degree is acceptable


• 8+ years of industry experience developing medium- or high-power with liquid-cooled power, inverters, motor drives, converters, or related industrial electronics.


• 3 yrs with technical leadership and cross-functional communication skills.


• Demonstrated experience defining power electronics architecture and leading products through design, validation, certification, and production.


• Strong understanding of three-phase inverter systems, modulation methods, semiconductor switching behavior, protection, and power quality.


• Experience evaluating trade-offs among switching frequency, semiconductor losses, passive-component size, filter losses, thermal performance, and cost.


• Strong circuit-design and debugging skills across power stages, gate drives, sensing, protection, and high-voltage interfaces.


• Experience with SiC-based inverter systems; GaN experience is beneficial.


• Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink, PLECS, LTspice, or comparable simulation tools.


• Hands-on experience with oscilloscopes, power analyzers, AC/DC sources and loads, and high-voltage current and voltage probes.


• Ability to develop test plans, analyze results, document conclusions, and communicate recommendations to technical and management teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Electrical Engineering or similar degree with an emphasis on Power Electronics


• Design and validation experience with:
  
  
  
  • High-power drives for high-speed permanent-magnet machines
  
  
  • Active-front-end or grid-connected converter systems
  
  
  • Output, input, and common-mode filter design
  
  
  • High-frequency magnetics design and optimization
  
  
  • Altium schematic capture and PCB-layout review
  
  
  • High-density packaging and low-inductance busbar design
  
  
  • Water-cooled cold plates and thermal-system integration
  
  
  • EMC/EMI testing and design for compliance
  
  
  
  


• UL, IEC, CE, or related industrial product certification


• Functional-safety and SIL-related product development experience

Work Environment

This role is primarily on-site and involves work in the office, manufacturing, equipment-installation, and test environments. Appropriate personal protective equipment and adherence to site safety requirements are required. Some activities may require coordination outside normal operating hours. Travel to suppliers, manufacturing partners, or other company locations may be required.

Benefits

We offer a competitive benefits package designed to support the health, well-being, and financial security of our employees. Eligible team members receive paid vacation, paid sick time, comprehensive health benefits, and participation in a 401(k) retirement plan with company match.

Additional Information

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow other instructions and perform other related duties as assigned by their supervisor. Management reserves the right to change, rescind, add, or delete the duties and responsibilities of positions within this job classification at any time.

Sapphire Technologies is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or veteran status. This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, transfers, promotions, terminations, compensation, and benefits.