Principal Electrical Engineer, High Voltage Power Electronics for Motor Drives

The role

The Principal Electrical Engineer provides technical leadership in the architecture, design, and qualification of high voltage motor drives for aerospace and advanced mobility applications. This role involves developing architectures, schematics, and analysis for drives ranging from 1 kW to 100 kW on DC buses from 270 V to 1000 V.

What you will do

• Own architecture and design of HV motor drives in two classes: 1 to 3 kW and 3 to 100 kW.
• Design inverter power stages for 270 V to 800 V buses (up to 1000 V).
• Develop PMSM drive hardware including feedback sensors, current sensing, switching frequency, and processors.
• Design input DM/CM filters and size DC link capacitors.
• Define shielding, grounding, and bonding for motors, cables, and enclosures.
• Own thermal and EMI design for integrated motor and controller units.
• Select components, processors, and HV connectors for aviation and defense environments.
• Perform loss, thermal, stress, derating, insulation, EMI, and worst-case analyses.
• Develop schematics and review layouts for high dv/dt power stages.
• Lead bring-up, validation, and root cause investigations in the lab.

Required qualifications

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering or related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Minimum of 12 years designing and shipping power electronics, including multiple motor drives or high power converters.
• Hands-on design experience at both low power (1 to 3 kW) and high power (up to about 100 kW).
• Direct experience with HV DC buses (270 V to 800 V, up to 1000 V).
• Depth in at least one of automotive, industrial, aviation, or defense at comparable complexity.
• Expertise in inverter power stages, device selection, gate drive, DC link, and EMI filter design.
• Working knowledge of PMSM drives, FOC, feedback sensors, and current sensing.
• Strong grounding, shielding, and noise containment practice for motor, cable, and enclosure systems.
• Proficiency with Altium (or equivalent) and circuit simulation (SPICE, PLECS, or similar).

Nice to have

• SiC or GaN power stage design at high dv/dt and high switching frequency.
• Electric propulsion, eVTOL, hybrid-electric, or turbogenerator systems.
• Integrated motor and controller designs sharing one enclosure and cooling system.
• Insulation coordination and partial discharge at altitude for high voltage aircraft systems.
• High voltage connectors and harnesses for aviation or defense (high vibration, extended temperature).
• Familiarity with DO-160, DO-254, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-704, ARP4754B, or similar standards.
• Python or MATLAB for analysis, automation, or test scripts.
• Fault-tolerant, high-reliability design experience

Benefits

• Equity participation
• Health benefits (health, vision, dental)
• 401(k)

Before you apply

• All final candidates must successfully complete a background check and drug screening as a condition of employment.

About the company

Neon Aero designs, builds, and scales aircraft using automation, AI-driven tools, and a digital backbone. The company combines start-up agility with aerospace expertise.