Power Electronics Engineer I

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; United States; On-site; USD 98,000 - 114,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental and vision coverage

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Learning opportunities

Rideshare

Flexible schedule

Parental leave

Job summary

Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California seeks a Power Electronics Engineer to design, build, and test next‑generation space power hardware. You will participate in the full development cycle from concept to delivery, collaborating with Cognizant Engineers, Senior Design Engineers, and project managers.

Candidates should have an electrical engineering background, hands‑on test experience, and familiarity with design and simulation tools; aerospace experience is preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field; 1+ years experience or Master’s degree with minimal related work experience.
• Experience with bench top test equipment (DMMs, power supplies, loads, probes, scopes).
• Ability to test and debug circuits in lab and communicate results clearly.
• Knowledge of CAD/CAE tools for design and simulation of power electronics.

Responsibilities

• Design power electronics systems, subsystems, and test equipment.
• Coordinate fabrication of prototype and flight hardware.
• Test prototype and flight hardware to verify requirements and environmental specs.
• Develop engineering drawings, analyses, test procedures, and reviews.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Circuit testing & debugging

Lab bench testing

CAE software knowledge

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Master’s degree in related disciplines (optional)

Tools

LTSpice

Altium

Oscilloscopes

Job description

New ideas are all around us, but only a few will change the world. That’s our focus at JPL. We ask the biggest questions, then search the universe for answers—literally. We build upon ideas that have guided generations, then share our discoveries to inspire generations to come. Your mission—your opportunity—is to seek out the answers that bring us one step closer. If you’re driven to discover, create, and inspire something that lasts a lifetime and beyond, you’re ready for JPL. Located in Pasadena, California, JPL has a campus‑like environment situated on 177 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and offers a work environment unlike any other: we inspire passion, foster innovation, build collaboration, and reward excellence.

Responsibilities

The Power Electronics Engineer will support JPL’s Power Electronics Group in designing, building, and testing next‑generation space power hardware. In this role, the engineer will contribute to the full development cycle of power electronics—from initial concepts and subsystem design to hardware fabrication, testing, documentation, and delivery. The position involves hands‑on work with laboratory test equipment, collaboration with senior engineers and project managers, and ensuring high‑reliability standards for flight hardware. Candidates should have an electrical engineering background, experience testing and debugging circuits, and familiarity with design and simulation tools, with additional preference for experience in aerospace or space‑focused power electronics development. JPL’s Power Electronics Group leads the research and development and flight applications of power systems, power electronics, power sources, energy storage, energy conversion, and related sensor systems at JPL. The Power Electronics Group within the Avionics, Power, and Instrument Electronics section is dedicated to the development of power subsystem electronics concepts, implementation of power system architecture designs, design and implementation of hardware for flight projects, and support for proposal development and project formulation. Currently we are seeking an Electronics Engineer to participate in the development and testing of the next generation of space power hardware. As a Power Electronics Engineer I, you will design and test electronics subsystems and support equipment and will be involved in all aspects of power electronics development from concept to delivery. You will work closely with Power Electronics Cognizant Engineers, Senior Design Engineers, Systems Engineers, and the Technical Group Supervisors.

Tasks

• Design power electronics systems, subsystems, and test equipment.
• Coordinate the fabrication of prototype and flight hardware.
• Test both prototype and flight hardware to verify and validate that it operates correctly and that requirements are met, including environmental testing.
• Develop engineering documentation, including engineering drawings, circuit analyses, test procedures, and presentations for reviews.
• Work with other engineers to solve technical problems as they arise, both at the design level and during laboratory testing.
• Work with section and project managers to ensure that schedules are appropriately planned and met.
• Understand and ensure that appropriate procedures are followed and documentation developed to successfully deliver high reliability flight hardware.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, or related technical subject area with typically a minimum of 1 years of related work experience, or Master’s degree in similar disciplines with a minimum of 0 year related work experience Experience with Bench Top Test Equipment, including DMMs, high current power supplies, electronic loads, various measurement probes and oscilloscopes. Ability to test and debug circuits in the lab, both on your own and in collaboration with others. Knowledge of and experience with computer aided engineering software and tools for design and simulation of power electronics. Good oral and written communication skills. Ability to work with a diverse group of people.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in the design, development, fabrication, assembly and test of power electronics or analog hardware, particularly focused on power systems and analog electronics in space environments.
• Military, Aerospace & Space hardware development experience.
• Experience with LTSpice for simulation and Altium for schematic capture and PWB layout.
• Experience with test software and hardware.
• Preferably using scripting languages like Python for automation.

Benefits

• health, dental, vision, wellbeing, and retirement plans, paid time off, learning, rideshare, childcare, flexible schedule, parental leave and many more.

Salary

The typical full time equivalent annual hiring range for this job in Pasadena, California. $97,656 - $114,192

Equal Opportunity / EEO Statement

JPL is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status or any other characteristic or condition protected by Federal, state or local law. In addition, JPL is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. EEO is the Law. EEO is the Law Supplement Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federal facility. Due to rules imposed by NASA, JPL will not accept applications from citizens of designated countries or those born in a designated country unless they are U.S. Citizens, Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S or have other protected status under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). The Designated Countries List is available here.

Company History

Formed in 1936, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech.) JPL joined NASA as an FFRDC when the agency was founded in 1958. JPL helped open the Space Age by developing America’s first Earth-orbiting science satellite, creating the first successful interplanetary spacecraft, and sending robotic missions to the solar system. Today JPL continues its world-leading innovation, implementing programs in planetary exploration, Earth science, space-based astronomy and technology development while applying its capabilities to technical and scientific problems of national significance. Above all, we are explorers. At JPL we promote collaboration, innovation, integrity, and excellence in distinct academic areas. We turn ideas for science investigation into the reality of groundbreaking space missions, partnering with our strategic business teams to guide JPL into the future.