At least 10 years
The Principal Power Electronics Engineer leads the design and development of highpower AC and DC systems for consumer and commercial electric vehicle chargers. This role owns the complete product lifecycle for advanced power conversion and gridtie solutions, from architecture and modeling through hardware design, embedded control, validation, and design for manufacturing. You will collaborate closely with crossfunctional teams to deliver reliable, compliant, and highperformance power electronics products to market.
Responsibilities- Lead the architecture, design, and optimization of highpower AC and DC systems for consumer and commercial EV charging applications.
- Collaborate with engineering teams to develop highpower ACtoDC and DCtoDC converters that meet performance, efficiency, and reliability targets.
- Design and develop advanced softswitching multilevel converters in the 40100 kW range, up to 2000 VDC, using stateoftheart topologies and control strategies.
- Design and develop a multilevel 100200 kW, up to 2000 VDC fourquadrant gridtie inverter that complies with gridinteractive regulations in Europe and North America.
- Take responsibility for all aspects of product design, including system modeling, key component selection, schematic capture, PCB layout guidance, code development, magnetics design, thermal design, regulatory and compliance considerations, and design for manufacturing.
- Apply and refine power conversion topologies such as LLC, phaseshifted full bridge, flyback, forward, and multilevel converters, including singlephase and threephase power factor correction, and associated softswitching techniques such as zerovoltage switching (ZVS) and zerocurrent switching (ZCS).
- Model and analyze power designs using tools such as PLECS, MATLAB, and SPICE to validate concepts, optimize performance, and ensure robustness.
- Create designs using both offtheshelf integrated circuit controllers and programmable solutions including FPGAs, PLDs, and DSPbased digital control, leveraging embedded software development experience.
- Work effectively with crossfunctional teams across mechanical, software, test, and validation to resolve architectural issues early and address lab, test, and validation findings later in the development cycle.
- Drive systemlevel debugging and problem solving across hardware and firmware boundaries to ensure seamless integration and high system performance.
- Ensure high reliability of products under stress conditions and challenging environments over extended operating periods.
- Incorporate current industry standards for consumer and industrial products into designs, and consider EV charging standards in product architecture and implementation.
- Support the transition from prototype to production by applying design for manufacturing principles and collaborating with operations and manufacturing stakeholders.
- Participate in technical reviews, documentation, and knowledge sharing to strengthen engineering practices and product quality.
- Travel as needed to collaborate with distributed teams, support testing and validation activities, and engage with partners or suppliers.
- Extensive power electronics design experience in a hardwarefocused role, including close collaboration with firmware teams and systemlevel debugging, with a preference for 10+ years of experience and flexibility for candidates with slightly less.
- M.S. degree in Engineering, such as electrical, computer, or electronics engineering.
- 10+ years of experience bringing power electronics products to market, from concept through production.
- Strong electrical and electronic design skills, with a deep understanding of systemlevel engineering tradeoffs across performance, cost, reliability, and manufacturability.
- Proven experience designing AC/DC and DC/DC power conversion systems for demanding applications.
- Ability to drive solutions across software, mechanical, power, and thermal domains to achieve robust and optimized system results.
- Experience working with crossfunctional teams, including mechanical, software, and test engineering, throughout the product development lifecycle.
- Current knowledge of industry standards relevant to consumer and industrial electronic products.
- Proficiency with power electronics topologies such as LLC, phaseshifted full bridge, flyback, forward, multilevel converters, and singlephase and threephase PFC.
- Handson experience with softswitching techniques including ZVS and ZCS in highpower converter designs.
- Ability to model and analyze power designs using tools such as PLECS, MATLAB, and SPICE.
- Experience designing control systems using offtheshelf IC controllers as well as programmable logic devices and digital signal processors.
- Embedded software development experience applied to digital control of power electronics systems.
- Strong problemsolving skills and the ability to resolve complex issues at both the architectural and lab/test stages.
- PhD in Engineering (electrical, computer, or electronics) is highly desirable.
- Knowledge of EV charging standards and regulations is a plus.
- Experience with fourquadrant gridtie inverters and compliance with gridinteractive regulations in multiple regions is advantageous.
- Familiarity with design for manufacturing practices for power electronics products.
- Comfort working in fastpaced, collaborative environments with multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Willingness to travel occasionally to support collaboration, testing, and validation activities.
This role operates in a highly technical engineering environment focused on developing advanced power electronics for EV charging and gridinteractive applications. You will work with modern simulation and analysis tools such as PLECS, MATLAB, and SPICE, alongside hardware labs equipped for highpower AC/DC and DC/DC converter development, multilevel converter testing, and gridtie inverter validation. Collaboration with mechanical, software, and test engineers is central to the daytoday work, with regular design reviews, lab sessions, and systemlevel debug activities. The position typically follows standard fulltime engineering hours, with some flexibility to support lab work, validation milestones, and occasional travel. The culture emphasizes technical excellence, crossfunctional teamwork, adherence to industry standards, and delivering reliable products that perform under demanding stress conditions and environments over extended periods.
Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of Campbell, CA.
Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $60.00 - $75.00/hr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace TypeThis is a fully onsite position in Campbell,CA.
Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Oct 21, 2026.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.
Posting ID: JP-006335256