Lead Engineer - Electric Drives Hardware

Wabtec•Erie, PA

77d•$71,500 - $98,100•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Engineer will design, develop, and validate inverter control electronics for traction and auxiliary systems used in locomotives and off-highway vehicles. This role owns the control panel hardware from requirements through validation, working closely with firmware, software, power electronics, and systems teams to ensure reliable system performance. The position combines hands-on hardware development with embedded software awareness to support efficient bring-up, integration, and troubleshooting in both lab and field environments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Electronics, or related engineering field
4+ years of experience with control hardware or power electronics (e.g., inverters, converters, motor drives)
Ability to read schematics and work with analog and digital I/O
Hands-on experience with hardware bring-up, debugging, and lab testing
Working knowledge of embedded software fundamentals (C/C++) and HW/SW interaction
Experience supporting system integration, testing, and troubleshooting
Strong communication and collaboration skills

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or experience with industrial/transportation electronics is a plus
experience with industrial or transportation electronics is a plus

Responsibilities

Own the design and requirements for inverter control panel electronics, including I/O, sensing, power supplies, isolation, communication, and protection for high-power traction and auxiliary systems.
Define hardware requirements for control electronics components (MCUs/FPGAs, gate drivers, ADC/DACs, sensors, connectors) and support board-level and system-level bring-up in collaboration with firmware and software teams.
Apply embedded software knowledge (C/C++) to support hardware bring-up, integration, and rapid debugging of hardware versus software issues.
Develop and maintain basic diagnostic tools and test scripts to support lab testing, automation, and validation activities.
Plan and execute hardware verification and qualification testing, including bring-up, bench testing, characterization, and EMC/EMI and environmental compliance.
Support system integration and troubleshooting of control hardware on locomotives and off-highway mining equipment.
Lead failure analysis and root-cause investigations for production and field issues, driving corrective actions and design improvements.
Perform reliability and safety analyses (e.g., FMEA, derating, thermal) and ensure appropriate diagnostics and protections are implemented.
Drive design-for-manufacture and design-for-test in collaboration with suppliers and manufacturing teams.
Create and maintain technical documentation, including requirements, designs, test results, and review materials.
Coordinate across hardware, firmware, software, systems, and test teams to ensure end-to-end controller performance and compliance.
Provide technical leadership on assigned projects, supporting planning, risk management, and design reviews.