Senior Power Electronics Engineer

Overview

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is building SPARC, its demonstration fusion machine, on the way to commercially viable fusion power plants, and has raised nearly $3 billion in capital since 2018 to do it. The Senior Power Electronics Engineer will report to the Director of Power Systems on the SPARC team, leading and coordinating electrical design projects for medium voltage power electronic converter systems. The role spans design, modelling, and validation through to commissioning, working across cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality electrical systems on spec and on schedule. It is based onsite at CFS’s Devens, MA facility.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, model, simulate, analyze and validate power electronics circuits, magnetic components and control strategies for medium voltage power electronic converter systems
• Define components and develop technical requirements and specifications for power electronic converter systems and other electrical designs
• Develop test methods to qualify designs from concept through final testing and commissioning, including troubleshooting of converter systems
• Contribute to cross-functional technical design activities to design, build and deliver electrical system designs for fusion power
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on critical procurement contracts and vendor coordination for technical and project milestones
• Define requirements and lead initial commissioning activities for power electronic systems
• Document design specifications, simulations and test results into engineering reports

Requirements

Essential: 8+ years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree, or a Master’s degree with 6+ years of experience with power electronics based systems; a proven track record designing and developing power electronics based electrical systems including system, protection, control, and mechanical integration; knowledge of inverter circuit topologies; experience with modelling and simulation tools such as PLECS, PSPICE, and MATLAB; experience with semiconductor devices (IGBT, MOSFET) and magnetic components (transformers, inductors); a fundamental understanding of gate drive circuits and device protection; experience with packaging design and thermal management of power conversion equipment; experience with high power electrical equipment above 10MW; hands-on testing experience with oscilloscopes and other lab measurement equipment; and strong written and verbal communication skills for design reviews and stakeholder presentations.

Desirable: A Master’s degree in electrical engineering focused on power electronics, experience applying electrical engineering skills to construction, manufacturing, testing, and field installations, experience applying compliance standards (IEC, UL, CSA, NEC), experience with problem solving and root cause analysis, hands-on prototype build and testing experience, and experience scaling independent systems into larger systems to meet higher power requirements.