Principal Engineer I

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Job Summary

Serve as the technical authority for power electronics hardware within C&I motor control and drive products

Lead the architecture, detailed design, simulation, validation, and industrialization of power electronics hardware-from concept through

product launch-ensuring performance, EMC, reliability, manufacturability, safety, and regulatory compliance.

Operate with a high degree of autonomy, providing technical leadership, design direction, and mentoring other engineers while partnering

closely with firmware, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams.

Job Description

• Act as technical lead and design authority for power electronics hardware across multiple products and platforms

• Design switching power converters with a strong focus on efficiency, thermal management, EMI, reliability, and safety

• Develop schematics and guide PCB layout for high-frequency and high-power circuits, ensuring optimal current loops, grounding, isolation, and thermal paths.

• Drive adoption of EMC-compliant hardware and layout practices from concept phase onward. Specify and validate current, voltage, and advanced sensors (including MEMS-based solutions) for control, protection, and diagnostics.

• Perform detailed electrical simulations, including circuit-level simulations (functional, signal transient, power losses).

• Collaborate with firmware and controls engineers to ensure optimal hardware-software interaction and system-level performance.

• Support the definition and implementation of hardware safety functions aligned with applicable standards.

• Design electronics with a strong focus on long-term reliability under electrical, thermal, mechanical, and environmental stresses

• Lead DFMEA and contribute to system-level risk assessments

• Analyze test and field failure data, contributing to root-cause analysis and corrective design actions

• Ensure robustness against electrical overstress, thermal stress, EMC disturbances, and misuse scenarios

• Apply Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Test (DFT) principles throughout the development process.

• Support PCBA fabrication, assembly, and end-of-line testing strategy definition

• Work closely with Manufacturing Engineering and Quality to resolve electronics assembly, yield, and test issues. Support ramp-up and production readiness activities

• Provide technical support during pilot builds, validation builds, and mass production launches

• Support preparation of technical documentation and test evidence required for certification and compliance activities

• Participate in pre-compliance testing and troubleshooting to ensure successful formal certification

• Lead or support technical engagement with key suppliers for Power semiconductors

• Guide procurement on component selection, balancing performance, reliability & cost

• Support value engineering and cost optimization initiatives without compromising robustness or compliance.

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in electronics engineering.

• 10+ years of experience in electric motors, industrial equipment, and drives design

• Proven hands-on experience with power inverter topologies from 1 kW through 10 kW.

• Practical design ownership of active PFC hardware, implementing and supporting more than one topology across production programs

• Repeated success in designing hardware that meets EMC emission and immunity requirements, including layout execution and pre-compliance validation

• Extensive experience designing high-frequency power electronics, including switching devices, magnetics, and gate drive circuits

• Experience implementing and validating hardware safety functions for motor control applications.

• Hands-on involvement in PCB layout collaboration and design reviews for high-power and high-speed boards released to manufacturing

• Applied experience using circuit analysis and simulation tools to predict losses, transient behavior, and design margins

• 5+ years of experience applying current and voltage sensing technologies in power electronics and control systems

• Practical exposure to deploying advanced MEMS-based sensors in industrial or embedded electronics products.

• Direct involvement with PCBA manufacturing, including PCB fabrication, SMT/THT assembly constraints, and test strategy definition

• Participation in product industrialization activities, including prototype builds, pilot runs, and production ramp-up support

Skills

• Clear written communication skills for technical documentation, design rationale, and engineering review.

• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and concisely across diverse audiences, including nontechnical stakeholders

• Confidence to challenge assumptions and decisions constructively using data, experience, and engineering judgment

• Strong time management skills to balance deep technical work with cross-functional engagement

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or related field.

• Master's degree preferred

Additional Job Details

Technical - T6

Organizational Impact

• Implements strategic goals for the business unit, as determined by executive leadership, with significant impact on the department and/or job family
• Industry thought leader
• Establishes operational plans for job area with mid-to long-term impact on results (e.g., 3-5 years); works independently on own or others' complex projects/assignments and typically is responsible for entire projects or processes that span outside of own team
• Develops and provides measurable input into new products, processes, standards and/or operational plans that will have significant impact on the achievement of overall results
• Is seen as an industry expert within the role's respective field

Communication & Influence

• Communicates with parties within and outside of own business unit and/or job family group, and typically has responsibilities for communicating with parties external to the organization, which may include customers or vendors
• Works to influence others and/or negotiate to accept business unit and/or job family group's view/practices and agree/accept new concepts, practices, and approaches
• Requires ability to communicate with executive leadership regarding matters of significant, long-term importance to the organization
• Conduct briefings with executive leadership across the organization

Innovation & Complexity

• Work is typically without precedent and involves developing state-of-the-art solutions. Accountable for highly specialized projects and participates in product and/or design strategy creation
• Responsible for improving upon entire technical/business processes, systems or products, leveraging personal past experiences and in-depth understanding of best practices in the marketplace that may improve the competitive position of the organization
• Serves as spokesperson for the organization at industry events related to major matters pertaining to new technological/technical research, functional thought leadership, and other significant advancements that affect the industry
• Problems and issues faced are numerous, typically undefined where information is difficult to obtain
• Conducts extensive investigation to understand root cause of problems. Problems span a wide range of difficult and unique issues across business units and/or job family groups

Leadership & Talent Management

• Frequently responsible for providing guidance, coaching and training to other employees across the organization within area of expertise
• Typically responsible for managing large, complex project initiatives of strategic importance to the organization, involving large cross-functional teams
• May have direct reports, but generally fewer than three

Knowledge & Experience

• Requires mastery level technical knowledge of job area typically obtained through advanced education combined with experience. Seen as industry thought leader and contributes to the technical advances within their specialization areas
• Typically requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and minimum 15 years of prior relevant experience
• Master's degree, PhD, or specialized degree typically required

Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action at Nidec

Nidec is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action Employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, genetic information, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. For more information regarding your (EEO) rights as an applicant, please visit the following website: http://www1.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf

Work Shift Schedule

No Soliciting

Nidec will not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third party recruiting agencies in response to Nidec job postings. No fee will be paid to third parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to our hiring managers. Pre-approval from the Nidec Talent Acquisition team is required before any external candidate can be submitted and such candidate must be submitted to the Nidec Talent Acquisition team.