Traction Inverter Power Stage Gate Drive & PCB Lead Engineer

General Motors; Warren (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Relocation benefits

Job summary

General Motors seeks a Lead Traction Inverter Power Electronics Engineer to own gate drive circuitry, PCB design, and hardware architecture for propulsion technology. You will collaborate across Product Engineering, Systems Engineering, Controls and Software, EMC, Reliability, Manufacturing, and Purchasing, guiding complex, high‑visibility efforts with suppliers and internal teams.

The role requires deep power‑electronics expertise, disciplined issue resolution, and the ability to develop

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related field.
• 8+ years in power electronics, gate drive, or automotive electronics.
• Deep knowledge of high‑voltage traction inverter hardware and gate-drive design.
• Experience with IGBT, SiC, and GaN power-switch technologies.
• Strong PCB materials, routing, thermal management, and high‑voltage safety practices.
• Experience with EMC/EMI design, reliability engineering, and DFMEA/PFMEA.

Responsibilities

• Serve as SME for traction inverter power electronics and high‑voltage PCB design.
• Lead inverter hardware architecture, schematic development, and production release.
• Define PCB architecture, stack‑up, grounding, isolation, and thermal design strategies.
• Apply IGBT, SiC, and GaN switching knowledge to drive robust designs.
• Own verification plans including electrical, thermal, EMC, and reliability tests.
• Lead root‑cause analysis, 5‑Phase GM investigations, and corrective actions.
• Drive program execution from development through launch and field improvement.
• Provide supplier and manufacturing technical leadership and design reviews.
• Develop common design standards and documentation for inverter programs.
• Mentor engineers, lead cross‑functional teams, and communicate with executives.

Skills

Power electronics

Gate drive design

PCB design

High‑voltage design

Thermal management

DFMEA / PFMEA

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Siemens Xpedition

Python

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Job Description Energy Conversion Systems (ECS) at General Motors is a fast‑paced team that is working on developing and executing propulsion technology. This role is within the Energy Conversion Management Hardware Organization, specifically in the Traction Inverter Power Module & Low Voltage Hardware team. We are seeking a technical lead to join our team as “The Lead Traction Inverter Power Electronics Engineer”. This role provides end‑to‑end technical ownership for traction inverter gate drive circuitry, PCB design, hardware architecture, supplier execution, validation, production launch, and field‑performance improvement. The engineer will lead complex, high‑visibility work across Product Engineering, Systems Engineering, Controls and Software, EMC, Reliability, Manufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, Program Management, and external suppliers. The role requires deep power‑electronics expertise, strong technical influence, disciplined issue resolution, and the ability to develop scalable engineering standards that support GM’s electrification strategy.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the subject‑matter expert for traction inverter power electronics, gate drive circuitry, high‑voltage PCB design, hardware integration, and power‑electronics packaging.
• Lead inverter hardware architecture, requirements translation, schematic development, component selection, circuit simulation, layout supervision, design reviews, DFMEA, and production‑intent design release.
• Define and maintain PCB architecture, stack‑up, grounding, isolation, protection, sensing, thermal, EMC, and high‑voltage design strategies for robust traction inverter applications.
• Apply advanced knowledge of IGBT, SiC, and GaN switching technologies, gate‑drive requirements, parasitic effects, thermal behavior, EMC implications, and inverter fault mitigation.
• Own or direct gate drive circuit and PCB verification and validation plans, including electrical, thermal, EMC, vibration, environmental, reliability, high‑voltage, double‑pulse, and production‑test activities.
• Lead structured problem solving, root‑cause analysis, GM 5‑Phase investigations, PRTS actions, corrective‑action verification, and field or launch issue resolution.
• Drive program execution from advanced development and sourcing through design release, prototype builds, validation, launch readiness, production maturity, and field‑performance improvement.
• Provide supplier and manufacturing technical leadership, including statements of work, quotation reviews, technical negotiations, design reviews, process capability, change control, traceability, containment, and corrective action.
• Develop common design standards, reusable architectures, checklists, templates, lessons learned, production‐test limits, and technical documentation for inverter programs.
• Mentor engineers and technical specialists, lead cross‑functional workgroups, communicate complex technical issues to senior stakeholders, and influence technical decisions across organizations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Electronics Engineering, Power Electronics, or a related engineering discipline.
• equivalent technical education and demonstrated experience may be considered in accordance with GM policy.
• More than 8 years of professional experience in power electronics, gate drive circuit and PCB design, automotive electronics, or a closely related field.
• Advanced knowledge of automotive traction inverter hardware, high‑voltage and high‑current gate‑drive design, power‑switching behavior, sensing, protection circuits, isolation, grounding, filtering, and control interfaces.
• Strong experience with IGBT, SiC, and GaN power‑switch technologies, including switching characteristics, gate‑drive requirements, parasitic sensitivity, thermal behavior, EMC implications, and inverter protection strategies.
• Strong understanding of PCB materials, stack‑ups, copper distribution, thermal management, solder technologies, via structures, surface finishes, reliability mechanisms, and high‑voltage safety practices.
• Working knowledge of EMC/EMI design, emissions and immunity, functional safety concepts, reliability engineering, DFMEA, PFMEA, design verification, change management, supplier quality, manufacturing processes, end‑of‑line testing, and production launch.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver complex hardware products from concept through validation and production while leading cross‑functional teams, suppliers, issue‑resolution activities, and engineering documentation.
• Strong technical leadership, systems thinking, independent judgment, structured problem solving, data analysis, communication, collaboration, influence, negotiation, and conflict‑resolution skills.
• Ability to manage multiple high‑priority workstreams with autonomy, coach engineers, and create clear technical requirements, design rules, review materials, validation plans, and executive‑level recommendations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, or a related field.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in Traction Inverter Gate Drive Circuitry Design and Execution.
• Experience with traction inverters, electric drive units, onboard chargers, DC/DC converters, batteries, or comparable automotive power‑electronics systems.
• Experience with SiC or silicon power modules, high‑frequency switching, advanced gate drivers, isolated communications, high‑voltage sensing, and gate drive power supplies.
• Experience using Siemens Xpedition or similar tools for gate drive circuit and traction inverter PCB design.
• Experience with automotive EMC standards, inverter dynamometer testing, environmental validation, double‑pulse testing, high‑voltage bench testing, production‑test‑limit development, and failure analysis.
• Experience working with global suppliers, electronics manufacturing partners, cost‑reduction initiatives, design standardization, platform reuse, and design‑to‑value activities.
• Experience using Python, MATLAB/Simulink, or similar tools for engineering analysis, test automation, data reduction, or failure investigation.

GM does not provide immigration‑related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1‑B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J‑1, etc).

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}. The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role. This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

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