Description
Staff Power Electronics Engineer
Team: Electrical Engineering
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Commitment: Full-time (Exempt)
Workplace Type: onsite
Pivotal is the leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. We design, develop, and manufacture light eVTOL aircraft and are renowned for the BlackFly aircraft the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer market.
Efficient, compact, and simple, Pivotal aircraft are designed for a wide range of consumer, public service, and defense applications. Our distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture and scalable platform have been flying for over 10 years. Last year we announced our next-generation aircraft, the Helix, which is rapidly progressing toward general release and scalable production in early 2026.
Mobility is one of the most highly-valued areas of modern technology investments. This is the right company, in the right space, the right strategy, at the right time. If you are ready for adventure, we invite you to join our amazing team and grow with us.
About the job
As part of the Electrical Engineering team, you will lead the design, manufacturing, and testing of subsystems within Pivotal’s avionics and electronics. This role requires ownership of critical power electronic systems throughout their lifecycle, ensuring they meet performance, reliability, and safety standards. You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position, as we believe a wide variety of skills and backgrounds are key to fostering innovation and driving our technology forward.
Responsibilities
- Take ownership of multiple electronic assemblies on the aircraft throughout the design lifecycle, including development, validation, and production phases
- Explore architectural changes and improvements to existing designs to optimize performance and reliability
- Develop efficient production testing solutions for power electronics and related assemblies
- Design and coordinate comprehensive design validation testing for electronic systems, sensors, and control electronics
- Mentor electrical engineers, providing technical guidance and fostering best practices throughout the design and development process
- Perform root cause analysis, implementing fixes to improve yield, performance, reliability, and manufacturability of electronic assemblies
- Iterate on existing designs and create innovative solutions to new engineering challenges
- Develop hardware and firmware for power electronics, propulsion systems, sensors, and control electronics
Qualifications
- Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering
- Minimum of 8+ years of relevant experience in power electronics, electrical systems, or related fields
- Automotive experience, or the equivalent in experience and evidence of exceptional ability
- Proficiency in designing and sizing high-voltage power architectures (300V+), including power distribution, energy storage systems, and power conversion
- Familiarity with AC/DC, DC/DC, and DC/AC applications and control of variable frequency converters
- Strong understanding of power electronics topologies
- Experience with high voltage power semiconductor selection (Si/SiC/GaN MOSFETs, Diodes), gate drive, and protection circuit design
- Strong understanding of switching waveforms, semiconductor losses, and experience with loss modeling
- System understanding of device characteristics, gate driving circuit design, thermal design, topologies, modulation schemes, and control strategies in high- and low-voltage power converters
- Familiar with tools such as Altium, PLECS, PSCAD/EMTDC, MATLAB/Simulink, dSPACE
- Experience with advanced modulation approaches for achieving highly efficient power electronic converter designs
- Solid understanding of the theory and application of magnetics (inductors, transformers) and capacitors (electrolytic, film, and ceramic) used for power conversion
- Experience in supervision of PCB layout for minimal stray inductance and capacitance, placement strategies for better manufacturability, power/signal plane definition, and EMC optimization
- Proficiency with hands-on EE tools (oscilloscopes, network analyzers, signal generators, etc)
- In-depth knowledge of common communication protocols such as SPI, UART, and CAN
- Experience in developing and troubleshooting high-voltage systems and components, ensuring safety and compliance with industry standards
Bonus Qualifications
- Experience with aviation electronics standards, architectures, and processes
- Successfully taken at least one product through the entire development lifecycle, from concept to production
- Experience with data analysis/aggregation using Python or MATLAB
Familiarity/Experience with One or More of the Following:
- Low and high voltage power electronics design
- EMI/EMC compliance and testing processes
- DFMEA and reliability metrics for electronics
- Experience in prototype and medium-volume manufacturing
- Familiarity with GPS or UAV sensors
Attributes aligned with Core Values
- Demonstrates a proactive safety mindset by embedding safety into daily operations, identifying and mitigating risks through assessments and training, encouraging open dialogue on safety concerns, and continuously improving protocols to ensure a safe work environment.
- Puts customers at the center of every action by deeply understanding their challenges, delivering exceptional value, and striving to exceed expectations to support their success as our core purpose.
- Actively seeks and values diverse stakeholder perspectives, builds cross-functional relationships, and fosters trust through empathetic, fact-based communication—committing to shared decisions for the greater good.
- Drives results with clarity and purpose by focusing on what matters most, adapting to change, taking initiative, and owning outcomes while aligning actions with a clear understanding of success at every level.
- Navigates ambiguity with resilience and bold thinking, challenges the status quo, and combines innovative ideas with practical best practices to overcome obstacles and drive progress.
- Fosters a high-performance culture grounded in respect, professionalism, and support—balancing high expectations with a healthy, collaborative environment and being a trusted, dependable teammate.
Applicants must be eligible for employment in the United States and willing to work onsite at our HQ office in Palo Alto, CA.
Pivotal offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, and 401k plans.
Pivotal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Pivotal does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.
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