Power Electronics Engineer

Allen Control Systems•Austin, TX

21h

About The Position

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting-edge defense startup founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing an autonomous gun turret using advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely detect, track, and neutralize enemy drones. With an engineering-first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders’ successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop will have a real-world impact. We are looking for a Power Electronics Engineer with deep expertise in power conversion hardware, PCB design, and electromechanical systems. You will design and build the high-performance power electronics that drive our autonomous platforms from schematic capture and board layout through bring-up, validation, and field integration-working closely with firmware, mechanical, and systems teams.

Requirements

3+ years of hands-on experience designing switch-mode power conversion circuits, including topology selection, magnetics design, and gate driver implementation for SiFET or GaN-based systems.
Demonstrated experience with BLDC or PMSM motor drive hardware—phase current sensing, gate driver selection, protection circuitry—from schematic through bring-up.
Strong command of Altium Designer (or comparable EDA tool) for multi-layer mixed-signal and power PCB design; solid understanding of EMC design practices, power loop layout, and high-current trace routing.
Proficiency with SPICE-based simulation tools (LTspice, PSIM, SIMPLIS, or equivalent) for power circuit validation and control loop analysis prior to fabrication.
Hands-on EMI/EMC debugging experience; ability to identify root causes of conducted and radiated emissions and implement effective design fixes.
Skilled use of oscilloscopes, power analyzers, logic analyzers, and bench power supplies for hardware characterization, bring-up, and debug.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related field.

Nice To Haves

Experience with digitally controlled power converters using DSP or microcontroller platforms (e.g., TI C2000, STM32) including implementation of digital compensators or current sharing algorithms in Verilog or C.
Familiarity with magnetics design—custom inductor and transformer specification, core selection, and winding layout.
Thermal management experience: heat sink selection, thermal interface material specification, and steady-state thermal simulation.
Background in high-reliability, defense, aerospace, or space electronics where design verification, documentation, and environmental qualification are non-negotiable.
Experience taking a power electronics design through full EMI/EMC certification (class A or B radiated and conducted).
Knowledge of communication and control protocols common in embedded systems: CAN, SPI, I2C, UART.

Responsibilities

Design and develop power conversion circuits—including switch-mode DC/DC converters (buck, boost, flyback, PSFB), gate driver stages, and motor drive circuits—using SiFET and GaN FET technology for high-efficiency, high-reliability applications.
Own schematic capture and multi-layer PCB layout in Altium Designer for power and mixed-signal boards, with rigorous attention to power loop minimization, EMC, thermal management, and signal integrity.
Lead hardware bring-up from power-on through closed-loop validation; characterize switching waveforms, debug gate driver behavior, and verify power stage performance using oscilloscopes, power analyzers, and logic analyzers.
Run SPICE-based simulations (LTspice, PSIM, or SIMPLIS) for power stage design, transient analysis, and control loop modeling; perform thermal analysis to validate designs before fabrication.
Lead EMI/EMC debugging and design to meet radiated and conducted emissions requirements; support qualification testing against applicable military or commercial standards.
Collaborate with firmware engineers to define and validate digital control interfaces for power and motor drive systems, and work with mechanical teams to ensure thermal and structural integration.
Maintain thorough design documentation including schematics, layout rationale, simulation results, BOM, and test protocols.