Electrical Engineer (Power Electronics)
Company Overview:
Second Order Effects (SOE) is an engineering consultancy that transforms uncertainty into fully functional hardware and software. We work on projects at various stages of development and scope; we perform analysis, build prototypes, and take products to market. Our cross-disciplinary team solves critical problems across numerous industries, including automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, industrial automation, biomedical, green energy, and marine. Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, generate safety-overrides for self-driving cars, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world.
Founded in 2016, Second Order Effects has 90+ employees (and counting!) in offices in El Segundo, California and Redmond, Washington. We've worked with 90+ clients on 250+ projects as a partner, on a retainer, or on demand, all of which have no involvement with weapons.
How do we do this? We prioritize others, build the right thing, welcome difficulty, and play the long game. Learn more at soeffects.com!
Team Overview:
The Advanced Projects team is a cross-functional, multidisciplinary group that handles requirements-driven hardware development projects. We are focused on engineering design, developing custom electronics to fulfill our clients' needs, and identifying the best components and techniques to implement the desired functionality, while emphasizing quality and reliability. Our projects tend to be larger, longer-term engagements, though team members often split time across multiple projects.
We are looking for people who know how to get things done, who are always looking to grow their capabilities and deepen their knowledge, and who challenge assumptions, constantly pushing for better solutions and finding novel approaches to problems old and new. If that sounds like you, you've come to the right place.
Job Overview:
As an Electrical Engineer (Power Electronics), you will find the best solutions and implementations for the problems at hand by considering both hardware- and software-based approaches. You are an enthusiastic problem solver who can learn, invent, and execute creative solutions to drive forward difficult projects to ensure success.
What You Will Do:
- Drive design efforts for high-power electronic systems, including architecture and implementation details
- Take ownership of technical projects from schematic capture and PCB layout through hardware bring-up and troubleshooting with clients
- Perform component selection and trade studies of different implementation options to best generate and satisfy design requirements
- Design load drivers (including motor and solenoid valve drivers)
- Design power supplies and converters (including DC/DC switching regulators, isolated supplies, stability, noise, and characterization)
- Circuit simulation and thermal analysis of designs, including sizing of thermal management systems
- Create documentation for electronic hardware and systems
- Drive interface definition, connector selection, and harness drawing reviews
- Interface with internal teams and external clients to conduct design reviews for high-power systems and subsystems
- Write and execute test plans for device validation and performance characterization
What You Will Need:
- Bachelor's Degree (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Math, related field)
- 3+ years of experience in power electronics with a demonstrated passion for engineering and technology development
- Excellent written and verbal technical communication skills; ability to explain technical concepts and their implications to non-technical audiences
- Experience in any common ECAD tool, such as Altium Designer, KiCad, Cadence, PADS, EAGLE, etc.
- Experience in designing, modeling, simulation, and testing of power electronics
- Experience with thermal analysis of electronic circuits, thermal management solutions, and environmental testing to validate assumptions and characterize performance
- Excellent grasp of DC-DC/AC-DC circuit topologies and the ability to select optimal architectures and components
- Familiarity with analog small-signal circuit design (filters, op-amp circuits, signal conditioning)
What Would Be Useful:
- Master’s degree (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Math, related field) or 5+ years of relevant experience
- Experience in a team-based design and build project (e.g., Formula SAE, Solar Car, CubeSat, etc.)
- End-to-end electronics design experience: taking designs from requirements generation through schematic, layout, fabrication, and hardware bringup
- Working experience with power distribution networks for high frequency applications and kW level power electronics (e.g., DC-DC, AC-DC conversion, etc.)
- Experience in voltage and current mode control, compensation design, and power factor correction (PFC)
- Familiarity with analog control and discrete logic design, power supply testing, and packaging for aerospace, automotive, and/or consumer electronics products
- Knowledge of PCB fabrication and assembly process, design for manufacture and design for assembly (DFM / DFA), familiarity with IPC and/or JEDEC standards
- Experience interfacing with PCB and assembly vendors to have designs fabricated
- Large-format or high-density or high-layer-count PCB design experience, preferably for aerospace, automotive, medical, or other high-reliability applications
- Expertise with Altium Designer or KiCad
- Familiarity with lithium-ion battery handling, safety, and usage
- Familiarity with Python and/or MATLAB for data parsing and signal analysis
- Familiarity with LTSpice for circuit simulation
- Familiarity with Git and SVN for revision control
Additional Requirements:
- Applicant must be willing to work 40 hours a week on-site in El Segundo, California, USA
- Applicant must be eligible to work on ITAR projects
- Job Type: Full-time (Salary)
ITAR Requirements:
- To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship at this time.
Benefits:
- Competitive compensation + equity incentive plan
- 100% employer-paid health insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) for employees + 50% dependent coverage
- Flexible paid time off policy + 11 paid holidays + 12 paid sick days
- 401(k) retirement account and employer matching (Safe Harbor 4%)
- Hybrid working arrangements
- Paid parental leave
- Relocation assistance available if 50+ miles away from the office
- Electric Vehicle (EV) charging ports
- Casual dress code
- Daily catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen
- & more!
If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply!
Second Order Effects is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SOE is governed on the basis of excellence and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.