Motor / Electromechanical Applications Engineer, Vandrel

Interplay; New York (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Interplay is looking for a high-performing engineer to bridge material properties and motor-level performance metrics. In this role, you will directly engage with design teams in various sectors, including defense and aerospace, to integrate Vandrel wire into key systems.

With over 5 years of experience in motor design, you will own technical discussions, shape product lines based on customer feedback, and ensure thorough qualification processes. Competitive compensation and equity options are provided based on experience.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in motor design, electrical machines, power electronics, or traction drive engineering.
• Strong grasp of thermal and dielectric constraints in high-power motors.
• Experience with defense or aerospace motor programs is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Translate wire properties into motor performance metrics.
• Work with design teams for system integration.
• Quantify gains through modeling.
• Engage in technical discussions on winding design.

Skills

Motor design expertise

Electrical machines knowledge

Power electronics proficiency

Experience in winding design

Job description

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Vandrel is rebuilding America's high‑performance magnet wire supply chain. We design and manufacture PEEK‑insulated copper conductor in modular micro‑factories, producing the wire that goes into the motors, transformers, and power systems that matter most: defense and aerospace platforms, EV traction, and grid and stationary storage.

Today, insulated magnet wire is produced by a short list of European and Asian suppliers. That is a problem for every US program that needs higher voltage, higher temperature, or higher power density. Our team is small, senior, and hands‑on, and we are closing that gap.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

• Bridge Material to System: Translate Vandrel wire’s material properties (dielectric strength, temperature rating, thinner insulation, higher slot fill) into motor‑level performance deltas customers care about: continuous torque, peak power, thermal headroom, bus voltage, eLiciency, partial discharge life.
• Run Customer Engineering: Work directly with design teams at defense drone and autonomy primes, aerospace motor programs, EV OEMs, industrial drives, and gridscale power electronics to get Vandrel wire designed into their systems.
• Build Performance Models: Quantify the gain Vandrel wire delivers in a given motor topology through thermal, electromagnetic, and dielectric modeling.
• Drive Winding Design Conversations: Own the technical dialogue on slot fill, insulation system compatibility, and hairpin versus distributed winding trade‑offs with customer engineering teams.
• Define Vandrel’s First SKUs: Shape the initial product line based on real customer use cases: conductor size, insulation thickness, build class, and temperature class. Feed requirements into the process and materials roadmap.
• Own Qualification and Test: Support customer qualification (HIPOT, partial discharge, thermal aging, fluid compatibility, thermal shock, vibration). Partner with process engineering to reproduce failures and harden the product.
• Own the Technical Story: Build and present the narrative for why Vandrel wire wins at the chemistry, motor, and system levels. Represent Vandrel at customer reviews, technical conferences, and design‑in sessions.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• 5+ years in motor design, electrical machines, power electronics, or traction drive engineering.
• Fluency in winding design and insulation systems (magnet wire, enamel, impregnation, slot liner, phase paper).
• Strong grasp of thermal and dielectric constraints in high‑power motors.
• Comfort across the interface between material, motor, and system: you move easily between polymer chemistry and bus voltage.
• Customer‑facing chops: you can run a technical review with a customer’s chief motor engineer and walk out with a next step.
• Experience with defense or aerospace motor programs, 800V+ systems, or high‑speed motors (above 20,000 rpm) is a plus.
• Bias toward shipping.

COMPENSATION AND EQUITY

Compensation is benchmarked to senior motor and electrification talent at venture‑backed hard‑tech companies. Base salary is competitive and equity is material; both scale with experience and scope of ownership.

For candidates with deep motor and systems credibility and the appetite to own Vandrel’s commercial‑technical surface from day one, we are open to structuring this as a co‑founder‑level package: co‑founder equity, commensurate title, and the authority that comes with it.