Electrical Engineer, Power Electronics - Second Order Effects

Company Overview

Second Order Effects (SOE) is an engineering consulting firm that transforms uncertainty into fully functional hardware and software. We work on projects at all stages of development; we perform analysis, build prototypes, and take products to market. Our team solves high-impact problems across numerous industries, including automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, industrial automation, biomedical, and green energy. Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, instrument fusion reactors, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world. The only thing we won't build is weapons.

Founded in 2016, Second Order Effects has 50+ employees (and counting!) in offices in El Segundo, California and Redmond, Washington. We've worked with >130 clients on > 300 projects as a partner, on retainer, or on demand.

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

Electrical engineering is the beating heart of SOE's technical capability, with power electronics as our newest specialization in that discipline. Power electronics is currently part of the Special Projects team, where we incubate new technical competencies by tackling the programs with the highest degree of novelty, uncertainty, and learning.

Special Projects is designed to be antidisciplinary, including systems engineering, power electronics, firmware, mechanical engineering, and physics. We jump in on the misfit projects and the "what's possible?" questions. We study and explain the gaps between the first-principles physics, the commercial solutions, and the state-of-the-art research. We move quickly by making assumptions, and focus our efforts by understanding where those assumptions break down. We are voracious learners, and learn with the goal of empowering the rest of the team to solve the problem - not just ourselves.

Responsibilities

• Support the design, architecture, and development of SOE's power electronics systems (typically <10kW)
• Work closely with the engineering team and external customers to build the right thing in a wide variety of industries such as aerospace, renewable energy, automotive, medical devices, and more
• Take ownership from schematic capture and PCB layout through hardware bring-up and troubleshooting
• Design power supplies and converters (including DC/DC switching regulators, isolated supplies, stability, noise, and characterization)
• Support Business Development (BD) by participating in early-stage calls with new customers and reviewing cost and labor estimates

The following lists represent our best guess at a profile of someone who would be successful in this role. Even if this doesn't perfectly match your background, we encourage you to still apply! SOE is an engineering consulting company unlike any other, requiring a team unlike any other, so non-traditional career paths are welcome.

What You Will Need

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or related
• Previous experience designing power supplies (including DC/DC switching regulators, isolated supplies) and/or load drivers (including motor and solenoid valve drivers)
• Demonstrated passion for engineering and technology development 
• Interest in end-to-end electronics development, including requirements generation, schematic design, board layout, design verification and acceptance testing
• Ability to collaborate effectively with an interdisciplinary team working on challenging problems

What May Be Useful

• Experience with our standard power electronics toolkit: Altium Designer, LTspice, HFSS, FEMM, Python
• Experience in a team-based design and build project (e.g., Formula SAE, Solar Car, CubeSat, etc.)
• Experience in voltage and current mode control, small signal modeling, compensation design, power factor correction, analysis of stability and noise, design for efficiency, conducted emissions
• Exposure to vehicle-level power systems design and/or full electric powertrains
• Exposure to thermal analysis of power electronics and thermal management systems
• Exposure to environmental testing to verify performance and validate assumptions
• Familiarity with any of the following areas: high voltage (100V-1kV) power conversion, digital control for power systems, inverter systems
• Familiarity with power transistor technologies other than BJTs and MOSFETS such as GaN, SiC, IGBT, etc.
• Familiarity with design and test standards for aerospace (MIL-STD-461, SMC-S-016, GSFC-STD-7000A, etc.), grid-tied power systems (IEEE 1547 DER, etc.), consumer electronics (UL, CE, RoHS, etc.)

Benefits

• Compensation range of $93,300-$134,770 + equity incentive plan
• Flexible work hours and work from home policy 
• 100% employer-paid health insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) for employees + 50% dependent coverage
• Unlimited paid time off policy, 11x paid company holidays, 12x paid sick days
• 401(k) retirement account and employer matching (Safe Harbor 4%)
• Generous paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance available if 50+ miles away from the office
• Electric Vehicle (EV) charging ports
• Daily catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen

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.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.