Principal Electrical Engineer - Power Electronics

Verterra Energy, Inc.; New Brighton (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) with employer match

Unlimited PTO + 2 weeks sick leave

Job summary

Verterra Energy is seeking a Senior to Principal Electrical Engineer to own end‑to‑end power electronics development for generator-adjacent systems. You’ll work with mechanical and controls engineers to deliver practical, manufacturable hardware and robust power management.

The role emphasizes technical leadership, hands‑on build-and-test, and sound engineering judgment, with opportunities to influence test platforms, manufacturing readiness, and environmental design for real-world deployment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in hands‑on power electronics (Principal level typically 12+)
• Experience designing PCB-based power electronics in 0.5 kW–5.0 kW range
• Strong magnetics, core and thermal management knowledge
• Experience selecting/testing power semiconductor devices (MOSFET/IGBT/SiC/GaN)
• Familiarity with multiple power converter architectures and MCU/DSP integration
• Environmental design for IP-rated enclosures, sealing, encapsulation/potting, vibration handling
• Proven track record bringing power electronics to market from requirements to manufacturing

Responsibilities

• Lead power electronics design for 0.5–5.0 kW systems
• Define architecture for power conversion connected to small generators and test platforms
• Design/develop high-power PCBA schematics and layouts (Altium)
• Develop and validate converter topologies (buck/boost, DC-DC, inverter/rectifier)
• Own magnetics decisions: inductors/transformers, losses, thermal tradeoffs
• Select and test power devices and gate-drive considerations
• Create protection/reliability approaches (EMI/EMC, inrush, fault handling)
• Integrate power electronics with MCU/DSP controllers and plan firmware collaboration
• Build/bring up prototypes; perform lab debugging and verification
• Drive design-for-manufacturing with vendors and production readiness
• Ensure operation under real-world environmental conditions and IP-rated enclosures
• Evaluate third-party designs for robustness and manufacturability
• Maintain lab environment and tooling for efficient testing

Skills

Power electronics

PCB design

Thermal management

MCU/DSP control

Altium

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Altium

Oscilloscopes

LabVIEW

Job description

About Verterra Energy

At Verterra Energy, we’re on a mission to harness the power in the world’s rivers, canals and oceans. To do this, we are commercializing our first device, VOLTURNUS. It is a pioneering water-power technology that deploys in harmony with the current to capture baseline, zero-emission electricity.

About Verterra Energy

At Verterra Energy, we’re on a mission to harness the power in the world’s rivers, canals and oceans. To do this, we are commercializing our first device, VOLTURNUS. It is a pioneering water-power technology that deploys in harmony with the current to capture baseline, zero-emission electricity. Backed by top-tier investors and multiple government contracts, we are growing our founding team to help hit key milestones. Partners and collaborators include the DoD, DoE, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Air Force. Recent press releases: https://www.verterraenergy.com/news

About the Role

Verterra Energy is seeking a Senior to Principal level Electrical Engineer (typically 8-15+ years) with deep, hands-on expertise in power electronics. This role is for a builder - someone who can own real power hardware end-to-end, make practical design decisions, and bring robust power electronics from requirements through manufacturing.

You will work closely with mechanical and controls engineers to develop generator-adjacent power conversion, power management, and internal test platforms. The emphasis is technical leadership, execution, and sound engineering judgment - not over-engineering, and not narrow specialization.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead power electronics design for low-to-mid power systems in the 0.5 kW to 5.0 kW range
• Define architecture and requirements for power conversion solutions connected to small generators and internal test platforms
• Design and develop high-power PCBA solutions (schematics + layout; Altium preferred)
• Design, integrate, and validate converter topologies (buck/boost, isolated and non-isolated DC-DC, inverter/rectifier stages as applicable)
• Own magnetics-related design decisions: inductor/transformer selection or design, core and copper loss considerations, thermal tradeoffs
• Select, characterize, and validate power semiconductor devices (MOSFET, IGBT, SiC, GaN, BJT as applicable), including gate drive considerations and switching loss tradeoffs
• Develop practical protection and reliability approaches (EMI/EMC basics, inrush, transient protection, fault handling, thermal protection)
• Integrate power electronics with MCU/DSP controllers: sensing, feedback loops at a system level, interfaces, and bring-up support (firmware collaboration expected; not a pure firmware role)
• Build, assemble, and bring up prototypes in the lab; debug issues quickly and methodically
• Plan and execute validation testing using oscilloscopes, power analyzers, supplies, loads, thermal tools, and instrumentation
• Drive design-for-manufacturing: vendor engagement, fab/assembly coordination, component sourcing risk, test strategy, and production readiness
• Design for real-world environmental conditions: enclosure integration, thermal management, IP-rated constraints, potting/encapsulation considerations
• Evaluate third-party or consultant designs for simplicity, robustness, safety margin, and manufacturability
• Help maintain and improve the electrical lab environment: tooling, organization, safety, and practical process improvements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related field (Master’s preferred but not required)
• 8+ years of hands-on power electronics experience (Principal level typically 12+)
• Demonstrated experience designing PCB-based power electronics in the 0.5 kW to 5.0 kW power range
• Strong understanding of magnetics, core and resistive losses, and thermal management in power designs
• Experience selecting and testing power semiconductor devices (MOSFET, IGBT, SiC, GaN, etc.)
• Familiarity with multiple power converter architectures and how they integrate with MCU/DSP-based control systems
• Experience designing for environmental constraints (IP-rated enclosures, sealing, encapsulation/potting, vibration/handling considerations)
• Proven track record bringing power electronics to market: requirements - design - validation - manufacturing handoff
• Strong technical judgment, ability to troubleshoot in the lab, and comfort making tradeoffs under real constraints
• Able to work independently while collaborating tightly with a small engineering team

Nice to Have (Not Required)

• Experience with generator-adjacent systems (rectification, load management, protection, sensing)
• Familiarity with EMI/EMC pre-compliance approaches and practical filtering/layout techniques
• Experience building production test methods/fixtures and defining acceptance tests
• Hands-on embedded familiarity for collaboration (basic bring-up, test scripting, instrumentation integration)
• Startup or small-team engineering experience

Additional Contributions & Growth Opportunities

• Owning and improving internal power and instrumentation platforms (test stands, dynamometer/torque testers, flume instrumentation, custom rigs)
• Providing technical leadership on adjacent platforms (marine systems, coastal energy harvesting, drones, other generator/power platforms)
• Helping build practical lab processes that reduce iteration cycles and increase hardware reliability

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Company-paid life, disability, and basic protection
• 401(k) with employer match
• Unlimited paid time off + 2 weeks sick and safe leave
• 7 company-paid holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1), Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day
• Stocked kitchen

Equal opportunity

Verterra Energy does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits.