Senior Power Electronics Engineer (Hardware & Firmware)

Optivolt; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Unlimited PTO

Pre-IPO equity package

Extra fun perks

Job summary

Optivolt seeks a hands-on hardware engineer to drive design, simulation, and firmware for next-generation power systems. You’ll own hardware lifecycle from schematic to layout and write embedded code to close control loops, in a hybrid setup in San Francisco.

You will develop high-efficiency power systems, simulate and validate control loops, and ensure robust performance from prototype through production, collaborating across hardware and firmware teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Hands-on experience with digital control loop closure (PI, PID, peak current mode, etc.) for electronic power converters.
• Proficiency in Verilog HDL design, FPGA implementation, and hardware simulation tools (LTspice, QSPICE, MATLAB/Simulink).
• Demonstrated experience in electronic converter control design and real-time controller implementation.
• Solid understanding of switching power supply dynamics, commutation, and loop stability criteria.

Responsibilities

• Design, model, and close digital control loops (PI/PID/Deadbeat) for power converters and switching topologies.
• Develop RTL in Verilog/VHDL and implement digital control logic on FPGAs or microcontrollers for cycle-by-cycle electronic converter control.
• Validate control loop stability and transient response on hardware platforms through simulation and bench testing.
• Simulate switching waveforms and the effects of parasitics on switching power supply performance and make design decisions based on these results.
• Conduct rigorous bench-top analysis, characterization, and troubleshooting of electronic converter switching waveforms and closed-loop performance.
• Collaborate with hardware and firmware teams to ensure seamless integration of control algorithms with power stage hardware.
• Design hardware for power converters including layout of high slew rate high power circuits.
• Select parts for these converters to balance cost and supply chain risk with performance requirements.

Skills

Digital control loops

PID control

Power electronics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Verilog HDL

FPGA implementation

LTspice

QSPICE

MATLAB/Simulink

KiCad/Altium

Job description

Optivolt seeks a hands-on hardware engineer to drive design, simulation, and firmware for next-generation power systems. You’ll own hardware lifecycle from schematic to layout and write embedded code to close control loops, in a hybrid setup in San Francisco.

You will develop high-efficiency power systems, simulate and validate control loops, and ensure robust performance from prototype through production, collaborating across hardware and firmware teams.