OverviewVertex in Indianapolis, IN is seeking a
Principal Electrical Engineer to provide technical leadership in power conditioning, drive electronics, and advanced networked control architectures across ground industrial and vehicle-class systems. This growth position will define and standardize approaches for power conversion, battery charging, nonlinear load handling, digital I/O/COTS SBC integration, and CAN-based control architectures (CAN 2.0/CAN FD) at the physical, logical, and application layers.
The Principal Electrical Engineer will lead electrical architecture for multi-board and multi-module systems, partition functions across CCAs and subsystems, and drive standards and best practices in power electronics, drive circuitry, digital I/O, and communication interfaces. The role includes architecting power systems, designing battery charger and energy storage systems, handling nonlinear loads and actuation drives, defining CAN-based communication schemes, and guiding integration of SBCs and digital I/O/relay circuits. This engineer will serve as a principal technical authority, mentoring other engineers and influencing proposals and IRAD investments.
Responsibilities- Lead electrical architecture and design for power conditioning, drive electronics, and CAN-based control subsystems across multiple programs.
- Define system-level power architectures, including AC/DC and DC/DC conversion, distribution, protection, and energy storage strategies.
- Architect and design battery charger systems and energy storage interfaces, including charging algorithms, protection, and diagnostics.
- Define and validate solutions for nonlinear loads (motor drives, pulsed loads, Class D-style power stages) to maintain power quality and system stability.
- Specify and oversee the design of regulated and unregulated DC/DC buck controllers, isolated topologies, and H-bridge/dual H-bridge drive stages.
- Define CAN-based communication architectures, including physical-layer design, bus topologies, and application-layer messaging for control and diagnostics.
- Guide the integration of digital I/O, relay control, and COTS SBCs into power and control subsystems.
- Perform and review advanced simulations (SPICE/SIMetrix, MATLAB/Simulink, ANSYS SiWave, Keysight ADS or equivalent) for SI/PI, transient behavior, and power system performance; ensure correlation with test results.
- Lead and host design reviews, set analysis expectations, and approve critical component and topology decisions.
- Support and guide EMC/EMI and environmental qualification campaigns for power, drive, and communication subsystems.
- Mentor senior, mid-level, and junior engineers in power electronics, drive systems, CAN architectures, and advanced simulation methods.
- Contribute to and lead proposals, cost/schedule estimates, and IRAD planning in power, drives, and networked control.
QualificationsEducation & Experience- Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related STEM field; advanced degree strongly preferred.
- Minimum 12 years of professional electrical engineering experience, or 10+ years with a relevant Master's degree (MSEE, MSCE, or similar).
- Demonstrated experience in:
- Power conditioning and conversion for ground industrial or vehicle systems (or analogous high-reliability domains such as medical or space).
- Battery charger systems and energy storage architectures (charging algorithms, protection, state-of-charge/state-of-health considerations).
- Handling nonlinear loads (e.g., motor drives, switched-mode loads, pulsed loads, Class D-style power stages) with appropriate power system design and protection.
- CAN bus architectures (CAN 2.0, CAN FD) including physical-layer design, protocol configuration, and application-layer messaging for control and diagnostics.
- Integration of digital I/O, relay control, and COTS single board computers into power and control subsystems.
Required Skills- U.S. Citizen with ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance.
- Expert proficiency in power electronics at board and subsystem levels (DC/DC converters, AC/DC conversion, battery interfaces, protection schemes, efficiency/thermal trade-offs).
- Experience defining architecture, requirements, and design standards for power systems on ground platforms (industrial equipment, vehicles, or similar).
- Expertise in battery charger design (buck/boost and multi-stage charging, battery management, balancing, safety and compliance considerations).
- Deep understanding of nonlinear load behavior and its impact on power quality, stability, and reliability; ability to define and validate mitigation strategies.
- Experience with regulated and unregulated DC/DC buck controllers, isolated topologies, and H-bridge or dual H-bridge drive configurations for actuation, rotators, or power stages.
- Expert-level proficiency in SPICE/SIMetrix-class simulation tools (e.g., LTSpice, SIMetrix/SIMPLIS); able to handle complex cases, perform advanced modeling of power and drive systems, and teach detailed use to other engineers.
- Proficiency in CAN physical-layer design (transceivers, termination, EMC/EMI considerations), bus topology, and signal integrity.
- Experience designing application-layer CAN messaging (diagnostics, control, safety) and integrating with embedded controllers or microcontrollers.
- Advanced proficiency with ECAD tools (e.g., Altium Designer) and associated workflows for complex board and system-level designs.
- Advanced use of simulation tools (SPICE, MATLAB/Simulink, ANSYS SiWave, Keysight ADS or equivalent) for SI/PI, transient, and power system analysis, with demonstrated model-to-test correlation.
- Strong background in EMI/EMC design and mitigation from concept through qualification for power, drive, and communication subsystems.
- Experience leading design reviews, defining analysis expectations, and ensuring robust documentation and configuration control.
- Ability to coordinate digital I/O, relay control, and SBC integration within broader power and control architectures.
- Operates with full autonomy; recognized as a principal technical authority for power, drive electronics, and CAN-based architectures.
- Strong strategic thinking and decision-making; balances performance, cost, schedule, and risk across programs.
- Excellent communication skills in technical forums, executive briefings, and customer meetings.
- Proven leadership in cross-functional settings; able to guide integrated product teams and influence program direction.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor senior, mid-level, and junior engineers and shape training, standards, and best practices across the electrical discipline.
Desired Skills- Experience in vehicle or mobile platform power systems (e.g., 12/24/48 VDC architectures, on-board chargers, DC-DC distribution, CAN-based control networks).
- Experience with standards relevant to ground vehicle or industrial power and CAN networks (e.g., ISO 11898, SAE J1939, or similar).
- Experience with medical or space-grade power and controls demonstrating high reliability, fault tolerance, and rigorous qualification.
- Experience leading EMC/EMI and environmental (e.g., MIL-STD-810 or DO-160-like) qualification campaigns for power, drive, and communication subsystems.
- Experience defining departmental design guidelines, reference designs, and preferred-parts strategies for power, drive electronics, and CAN subsystems.
- Experience leading proposals, IRAD planning, and technology roadmaps in power electronics, drive systems, and networked control architectures.
