Lead Power Electronics Engineer - Solid-State Circuit Breakers

About the role

US Citizenship Required

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and develop power electronic circuits and subsystems for solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) products and related technologies.
• Develop and optimize switching, protection, sensing, and control circuits utilizing silicon, SiC, and GaN semiconductor devices.
• Perform electrical, thermal, magnetic, and reliability analyses to support product performance, safety, and manufacturability requirements.
• Create schematics, component selections, simulations, and PCB designs for high-power and high-voltage electronic systems.
• Develop and evaluate gate drive circuits, fault detection methods, current sensing solutions, and protection algorithms.
• Conduct circuit simulation and system modeling using tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, PLECS, LTspice, PSCAD, or equivalent software.
• Plan and execute laboratory testing, prototype development, characterization, and validation activities.
• Investigate design issues, perform root-cause analysis, and implement corrective actions to improve performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Collaborate with firmware, systems, mechanical, manufacturing, and test engineers throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Participate in technical design reviews and provide recommendations regarding architecture, performance tradeoffs, cost, reliability, and compliance.
• Support product certification, environmental qualification, EMC/EMI testing, safety evaluations, and regulatory compliance activities.
• Document designs, analyses, test results, and engineering decisions according to company standards and development processes.
• Assist in technology research and evaluation of emerging power electronics solutions for future product development.
• Responsible for environmental, health, and safety leadership and maintaining safe engineering and laboratory work practices.
• Model, teach, and apply SEL Values, Principles of Operations, and World Class Manufacturing Principles.
• Understand. Create. Simplify.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in power electronics design, depending on level.
• Strong knowledge of power semiconductor devices, including MOSFETs, IGBTs, SiC MOSFETs, and/or GaN devices.
• Experience designing high-power, high-voltage, or high-current electronic systems.
• Experience with circuit simulation and modeling tools such as LTspice, PLECS, MATLAB/Simulink, PSCAD, or equivalent.
• Understanding of power conversion, switching transients, protection systems, and control techniques.
• Experience with schematic capture and PCB development.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong writing, documentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary engineering team.
• Ability to learn new skills and assume new responsibilities.
• Background check results satisfactory to SEL.
• Negative drug test result(s)

Preferred Qualifications

• MS degree in Electrical Engineering with emphasis in Power Electronics.
• Experience with solid-state circuit breakers, fault current limiting devices, or advanced protection systems.
• Experience with wide-bandgap semiconductor technologies (SiC and GaN).
• Experience with medium-voltage or utility-scale power electronics.
• Experience with gate drive design and high-speed switching applications.
• Experience with thermal management, magnetics design, and EMI/EMC mitigation.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and real-time simulation.
• Experience with requirements-based development and MBSE methodologies.
• Familiarity with utility, industrial, aerospace, defense, transportation, or microgrid applications.

Location - Pullman, WA

• This position is 100% on-site.
• Pullman, WA is nestled in Eastern Washington, offering an exceptional quality of life.
• Embrace the charm of small-town living with spacious surroundings, no traffic hassles, and easy access to outdoor adventures in nearby mountains, rivers, and forests.
• Plus, benefit from excellent schools and universities in the area.

Pay and benefits

Competitive pay. Superior benefits. Inspiring work.

People are at the core of our company and we hire employee-owners. We welcome you to learn more about how we support employees.

• We're 100% employee owned. Retirement benefits include an employer funded stock ownership plan (ESOP) and personal 401(k) options.
• We offer top tier medical, prescription, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• We recognize the importance of a healthy life balance and offer: 10 paid holidays, annual vacation accrual starting at 12 days, 9 paid sick days, and paid family and medical leave that covers 90% of your pay.
• We foster growth and development of our employees through avenues such as STEM courses, apprenticeships, tuition assistance, and engineering development programs.
• Ask our team about other benefits including wellness, fertility, adoption, and flexible spending benefits.
• We're 100% employee owned. Retirement benefits include an employer funded stock ownership plan (ESOP) and personal 401K options.

Pay Range

$107,600 - $161,500 annually

We set starting pay based on job-related factors such as your experience, training, knowledge, and skills. We are looking to fill this position at the Lead Hardware Engineer level, and we welcome applicants with a range of experience. Depending on your background, we may consider you for a different level, with compensation aligned accordingly.

• Hardware Engineer: $89,400 - $134,100 annually
• Lead Hardware Engineer: $107,600 - $161,500 annually
• Communication with Applicants

We communicate with all applicants. If you do not receive a response about your application, please check your SPAM filter or reach out to us at.

SEL is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Vets/Disabled.