Senior Electrical Engineer

RFA Engineering; Chillicothe (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Dental Insurance

Health Savings Account

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Long‑Term Disability

401k / Retirement Savings

Job summary

RFA Engineering is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer - Power Electronics to support development of high‑power inverter/converter hardware. You will design, validate, and troubleshoot power electronics for medium‑voltage and utility‑scale applications, working with a multidisciplinary team from concept through production.

The role emphasizes DFMEA, reliability, and collaboration with controls, mechanical, and manufacturing teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with at least five years of experience developing power electronics hardware.
• Experience designing and validating inverter, converter, motor drive, battery energy storage, renewable energy, or similar high‑power systems.
• Strong knowledge of IGBT and SiC power devices, gate driver design, power converter topologies, switching behavior, thermal management, and protection circuits.
• Experience designing and debugging power electronics PCB assemblies and performing laboratory validation using high‑speed measurement equipment.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and troubleshoot power electronics hardware, including gate driver boards, power boards, sensing circuits, and protection circuitry for high‑power applications.
• Create electrical schematics, review PCB layouts, and select components such as IGBT and SiC power devices, isolated gate drivers, sensors, and power supplies.
• Develop and execute validation plans by performing laboratory testing, including double pulse testing, switching characterization, thermal testing, fault analysis, and system commissioning.
• Analyze switching performance, power losses, thermal behavior, and protection circuit operation using oscilloscopes, power analyzers, thermal cameras, and other laboratory equipment.
• Investigate hardware failures, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions to improve reliability and performance.
• Collaborate with controls, mechanical, manufacturing, validation, and supplier teams to support prototype builds, product development, and production readiness while promoting Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Testability (DFT) best practices.

Skills

Analytical skills

Troubleshooting

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering (Power Electronics)

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

PLECS

LTspice

Altium Designer

Oscilloscopes / high-speed measurement equipment

Job description

RFA Engineering(www.rfamec.com ) is an engineering service provider dedicated to delivering our clients with timely engineering support and expertise. We are seeking an experienced level candidate to become an integral part of our engineering team. The selected candidate will work with an experienced engineering staff using state-of-the‑art engineering tools & processes. This position will operate onsite at our customer's world‑class engineering and manufacturing facility.

This is a full‑time position with a full benefit package listed below that includesopportunitiesfor professional growth, direct hire by our customers, and additional opportunities within our own organization.

Senior Electrical Engineer - Power Electronics

The selected candidate will support the development of advanced medium‑voltage and utility‑scale power conversion systems. In this role, you will design, validate, and troubleshoot power electronics hardware used in high‑power inverter and converter applications. You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop reliable, high‑performance hardware while supporting projects from concept through production.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and troubleshoot power electronics hardware, including gate driver boards, power boards, sensing circuits, and protection circuitry for high‑power applications.
• Create electrical schematics, review PCB layouts, and select components such as IGBT and SiC power devices, isolated gate drivers, sensors, and power supplies.
• Develop and execute validation plans by performing laboratory testing, including double pulse testing, switching characterization, thermal testing, fault analysis, and system commissioning.
• Analyze switching performance, power losses, thermal behavior, and protection circuit operation using oscilloscopes, power analyzers, thermal cameras, and other laboratory equipment.
• Investigate hardware failures, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions to improve reliability and performance.
• Collaborate with controls, mechanical, manufacturing, validation, and supplier teams to support prototype builds, product development, and production readiness while promoting Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Testability (DFT) best practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with at least five years of experience developing power electronics hardware.
• Experience designing and validating inverter, converter, motor drive, battery energy storage, renewable energy, or similar high‑power systems.
• Strong knowledge of IGBT and SiC power devices, gate driver design, power converter topologies, switching behavior, thermal management, and protection circuits.
• Experience designing and debugging power electronics PCB assemblies and performing laboratory validation using high‑speed measurement equipment.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis in Power Electronics.
• Experience with medium‑voltage power conversion systems and tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, PLECS, LTspice, or Altium Designer.
• Knowledge of Double Pulse Testing (DPT), EMI/EMC mitigation, UL and IEC standards, DFMEA, reliability engineering, and production launch support.

Visa sponsorship is NOT available for this position.

Pay Range: $90,000 - $120,000/yr – Commensurate with experience

About RFA Engineering

RFA Engineering has provided product development and engineering services to industry leading customers since 1943. Our primary focus is the development of off highway equipment including agricultural, construction, mining, recreational, industrial, and special machines. Our work includes concept development, product design, documentation, problem‑solving, simulation, optimization, and testing of components, systems and complete machines. Our engineering staff is located at our Engineering Center in Minneapolis, branch office in Dubuque, IA, and at numerous customer sites throughout the U.S.

Competitive Benefits

• Health and Dental Insurance
• Health Savings Account
• TelaDoc: Virtual Health Care
• Vision Insurance
• Company Paid / Supplemental Life Insurance
• Company Paid Long‑Term Disability
• Supplemental Short‑Term Disability
• Retirement Savings Account (Traditional 401k & Roth 401k)
• Flexible Spending Plan Dependent Care
• Bonus Plan (Exempt Employees Only)
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Holidays
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
• Education Assistance

Equal Opportunity and Veteran Friendly

Qualifications

Education

Preferred

Bachelors of Science or better in Computer Engineering.

Bachelors of Science or better in Electrical Engineering.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.