Manager – Research & Development ( R&D )

Benshaw Inc.•Pittsburgh, PA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The R&D Manager leads Benshaw’s multidisciplinary engineering team in developing motor control products, from low-voltage soft starters to medium-voltage variable frequency drives. The role owns the technical roadmap, guides product development, and leads the people responsible for taking products from concept through production. The position is onsite at Benshaw’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania location. The manager oversees technical decisions, team development, product execution, certification and quality, cross-functional collaboration, and R&D laboratory resources. The role includes work in office, engineering laboratory, and manufacturing-floor environments, including high-power test areas; approximately 10–15% travel is expected.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field.
At least 10 years of experience developing power electronics or motor control products, including at least 5 years leading engineers or engineering projects.
Hands-on design experience with variable frequency drives, soft starters, or similar power conversion equipment.
Strong understanding of power semiconductor devices (IGBTs and SCRs), gate drive design, magnetics, thermal management, and protection.
Working knowledge of motor control methods, including V/Hz, vector control, and motor protection functions.
Experience taking products through UL, CSA, and IEC certification.
Demonstrated success delivering products to production on schedule using a structured development process.
Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with engineers, executives, and customers.
Authorization to work in the United States on a full-time, permanent basis without restriction or current or future visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering with a focus on power electronics or electric machines.
Direct experience with medium-voltage (2.3 kV to 13.8 kV) drives, multilevel topologies, and/or medium-voltage solid-state starters.
Embedded firmware and DSP or FPGA control experience.
Knowledge of industrial communications, including Modbus, EtherNet/IP, and PROFINET.
Knowledge of simulation tools such as PSIM, MATLAB/Simulink, or SPICE.
Experience in heavy industrial markets such as mining, oil and gas, water, or pumping.

Responsibilities

Own the multi-year technology roadmap for low-voltage and medium-voltage soft starters and drives, aligned with product management and sales.
Guide architecture decisions involving power topologies, semiconductor selection, cooling, and control platforms.
Evaluate and implement technologies such as SiC devices, embedded connectivity, and cybersecurity.
Lead, hire, and develop a multidisciplinary team of power electronics, controls, firmware, hardware, and mechanical engineers.
Establish goals, conduct performance reviews, and develop a pipeline of technical talent, including co-ops and interns.
Balance resources across new product development, sustaining engineering, and custom-engineered orders.
Participate in stage-gate development from concept through validation, pilot build, and production release.
Manage project schedules, budgets, and risks, and communicate status to engineering and executive leadership.
Oversee design reviews, DFMEA, design for manufacturability, and design verification testing, including full-power testing.
Maintain engineering documentation, software configuration control, and the engineering change order process.
Ensure products meet applicable UL, IEC, CSA, and NEC requirements.
Coordinate certification testing with UL, CSA, and other agencies, and support IEC-rated product development.
Partner with quality and customer service teams to resolve field failures through root cause analysis and corrective action.
Collaborate with manufacturing, supply chain, applications engineering, field service, and sales to launch products and support key customers.
Manage component obsolescence and supplier qualification for critical parts, including IGBTs, SCRs, and printed circuit board components.
Identify inventions and support patent filings to protect intellectual property.
Manage R&D laboratory equipment and test facilities.