Principal Applications Engineer

Department: Engineering

Location: Somerville

Employment Type: FullTime

Company Description

Vertical Semiconductor, a venture-backed MIT spin-out, is leading the development of vertical gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors to build the foundational power layer for the next generation of compute and AI.

Role Overview

We’re hiring a Principal Applications Engineer to help commercialize next-generation Vertical GaN power devices (100 V - 2300 V) by translating device performance into system-level wins for customers. This role blends customer-facing technical leadership, hands-on power converter evaluation, simulation/model development, and bench characterization of fast-switching wide bandgap devices. The role offers significant ownership of customer technical engagement, and the development of evaluation hardware, reference designs, and technical content (application notes, trainings, demos). As the company scales, this position has the strong potential to evolve into a team leadership role.

Key Responsibilities

Customer technical leadership / design-in acceleration

• Serve as senior technical interface for strategic accounts: translate customer specs into power device requirements; support design in activity including simulations, testing, troubleshooting, and performance optimization.

• Present Vertical Semiconductor technology, products, and roadmap to customers and partners; act as a subject-matter expert for target applications.

Simulation, modeling, and system enablement

• Develop and own SPICE and/or PLECS simulation workflows for Vertical GaN in realistic converter environments (switching behavior, parasitics, loss/thermal estimation, gate-drive tradeoffs).

• Build reusable solution templates (topology starting points, loop inductance/parasitic models, measurement-informed parameters) to rapidly evaluate customer use cases.

• Create system collateral: application block diagrams, design guidelines, technical notes, and simulation models as part of an enablement roadmap.

Evaluation hardware & reference design leadership

• Lead development of evaluation boards, demo boards, and reference designs (schematic/layout, BOM, bring-up plan, test plan, characterization report).

• Perform system-level bench testing and debug; drive design optimizations based on measured performance.

High-voltage WBG bench characterization

• Where needed, perform hands-on characterization of fast-switching WBG devices, including switching waveform integrity, parasitic-sensitive measurements, and robustness characterization.

• Develop and publish practical “design rules” for customers: gate drive, layout/loop inductance, protection strategies, and measurement techniques.

Technical content and technical marketing

• Develop application notes, design guides, trainings/webinars, and other media that make Vertical GaN easy to adopt.

Cross-functional product influence

• Provide structured customer feedback to Device Engineering and Product teams: performance requirements, feature requests, failure-mode learnings, and competitive insights.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years in applications engineering supporting power semiconductor customers OR 5+ years developing power systems/converters.

• 5+ years experience developing or working with power converters (e.g., inverters, PFC, isolated DC-DC). Experience delivering reference designs or complete converter hardware is a strong plus.

• Proven bench characterization experience with high voltage and high current wide bandgap devices.

• Strong understanding of high-frequency power converter design (switching loss mechanisms, magnetics implications, layout/parasitics, gate drive).

• Deep familiarity applying SiC and GaN devices in real converters (including design-in pitfalls and best practices).

• Proficiency with SPICE and/or PLECS; ability to develop models and quickly evaluate power circuits.

• Strong technical communication skills: clear written application guidance and confident in customer-facing engagement.

• Experience with parasitic-aware layouts and EMI-aware design practices for fast-switching power stages.

• M.S. or Ph.D. in EE (Power Electronics) or equivalent practical experience.

Location & Travel

• Preference for candidates who can work in-office in Somerville, MA.

• Travel to customer sites and industry events (< 25% of the working time)

Values & Culture Fit

Vertical Semiconductor is seeking an engineer who is not only capable of accelerating the technical vision of the company but is also willing to get involved in the day-to-day execution of a startup. The ideal candidate is someone who enjoys tackling complex engineering challenges, is comfortable with a hands-on approach in a collaborative arena and thrives in a startup environment where they can make an immediate impact. We value integrity, initiative, problem-solving, creativity and a passion for creating transformative technology that can change industries and improve the world.

Compensation

We offer a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package with participation in our stock option program that is commensurable with candidates’ experience and impact.