Neon Aero is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer in Irvine, California. The Principal Engineer, High Voltage Power Electronics for Motor Drives provides technical leadership in the architecture, design, and qualification of high voltage motor drives for aerospace and advanced mobility applications. This is a deeply hands-on role: the engineer personally develops architectures, block diagrams, schematics, and the analysis behind them, and owns the rationale for every major design decision across drives from 1 kW to 100 kW, on DC buses from 270 V to 800 V (up to 1000 V), powered by batteries in applications such as eVTOL and by turbogenerator systems. The role collaborates closely with motor control, embedded software, mechanical, thermal, manufacturing, and supply chain teams, and provides strong technical leadership, ownership, and mentoring of other engineers without direct people management responsibility.
Key ResponsibilitiesArchitecture and Power Stage Design
- Own architecture and design of HV motor drives in two classes: 1 to 3 kW convection-cooled, and 3 to 100 kW liquid or forced-air cooled.
- Design inverter power stages for 270 V to 800 V buses (up to 1000 V): device selection (SiC, GaN, Si), gate drive, protection, and sensing.
- Develop PMSM drive hardware, applying motor control fundamentals to select feedback sensors, current sensing, switching frequency, and processors.
- Design input DM/CM filters and size DC link capacitors for ripple, stability, and lifetime.
EMI, Grounding, and Thermal Design
- Define shielding, grounding, and bonding for motors, cables, and enclosures to contain switching noise.
- Own thermal and EMI design for integrated motor and controller units in a single enclosure.
- Select components, processors, and HV connectors for high-vibration, extended-temperature aviation and defense environments.
Analysis, Validation, and Qualification
- Personally perform loss, thermal, stress, derating, insulation, EMI, and worst-case analyses.
- Develop schematics and review layouts for high dv/dt power stages (creepage, clearance, commutation loops, partial discharge).
- Lead bring-up, validation, and root cause investigations in the lab.
- Support DO-160 and MIL-STD-461 qualification and transition designs into production.
Manufacturing and Mentorship
- Drive DFM, DFT, and DFA; define manufacturing test requirements, coverage, and end-of-line test strategy.
- Mentor EEs developing 28 V and 48 V motor drive controllers.
Qualifications- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering or related field; equivalent experience considered.
- Minimum of 12 years designing and shipping power electronics, including multiple motor drives or high power converters.
- Hands-on design experience at both low power (1 to 3 kW) and high power (up to about 100 kW).
- Direct experience with HV DC buses (270 V to 800 V, up to 1000 V).
- Depth in at least one of automotive, industrial, aviation, or defense at comparable complexity.
- Expertise in inverter power stages, device selection, gate drive, DC link, and EMI filter design.
- Working knowledge of PMSM drives, FOC, feedback sensors, and current sensing.
- Strong grounding, shielding, and noise containment practice for motor, cable, and enclosure systems.
- Proficiency with Altium (or equivalent) and circuit simulation (SPICE, PLECS, or similar).
Preferred Experience
- SiC or GaN power stage design at high dv/dt and high switching frequency.
- Electric propulsion, eVTOL, hybrid-electric, or turbogenerator systems.
- Integrated motor and controller designs sharing one enclosure and cooling system.
- Insulation coordination and partial discharge at altitude for high voltage aircraft systems.
- High voltage connectors and harnesses for aviation or defense (high vibration, extended temperature).
- Familiarity with DO-160, DO-254, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-704, ARP4754B, or similar standards.
- Python or MATLAB for analysis, automation, or test scripts.
- Fault-tolerant, high-reliability design experience (preferred, not required).
What We Value- Engineers who have designed and shipped power electronics repeatedly.
- First-principles depth combined with practical, hands-on execution.
- Clear rationale behind every part selected and every design decision.
- High standards for reliability, manufacturability, and cost discipline.
- Technical leadership through mentoring, not formal authority, including growing EEs working on 28 V or 48 V motor drive controllers.
- Comfort operating in ambiguity while driving clarity for others.
Why Join Us- Work alongside elite engineering talent and innovators from across aerospace and tech.
- Be part of a team moving faster than the industry standard.
- Shape solutions that are lower-cost, autonomous, and scalable - the future of aviation.
- Competitive compensation, including equity participation, growth opportunities, and full health benefits (health, vision, dental, 401(k)) designed to support you in and out of work.
This is the expected compensation range for this role. Final compensation will be based on role scope, experience, skills, internal equity and location. This role may also be eligible for bonus/equity/benefits, if applicable.
$210,000-$325,000 USD
