Principal Electrical Engineer

VVater • Austin, TX

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Principal Electrical Engineer owns VVater’s power-conversion and delivery hardware, taking power equipment from specification through validation and manufacturable product. The role covers core-type and shell-type electrical apparatus, rectifiers, converters, panel integration, protection, and electrical compliance. The engineer designs hardware to supply high-current electrochemical reactors, defines protection and power quality, and conducts electrical factory acceptance testing (FAT). The position works closely with the electrochemical principal, who defines reactor electrical duty, as well as mechanical, controls, and manufacturing teams.

VVater is seeking someone energized by a fast-paced environment focused on accelerating development and adoption of water technologies. This is an onsite position based in Austin, Texas; remote and hybrid work are not available. Applicants must complete assessment tests as part of the recruitment process to progress in the evaluation.

Requirements

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering.
• At least 7 years of power-electronics or power-supply design experience.
• Hands-on experience designing voltage-conversion devices, rectifiers, and converters and carrying them through validation to manufacturable products.
• Panel-integration experience covering protection, grounding, power quality, electrical safety, and compliance.
• Hardware bring-up and FAT experience, including efficiency, thermal, harmonics, and fault-condition testing.
• DFM and supplier-management experience involving power components.
• Experience with CAD software such as AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, SolidWorks, or Fusion 360, and simulation tools such as COMSOL or ANSYS for system modeling and design optimization.
• Experience mitigating thermal, EMI, and harmonic effects at component, panel, and system levels.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to specify, review, and defend power-hardware designs to engineers, customers, and auditors.
• Comfort with ambiguity and sound judgment in deciding what to design and test next without waiting for direction.
• Willingness to work onsite in Austin, Texas; remote and hybrid work are not available.
• Participation in required recruitment assessment tests.

Nice To Haves

• High-current DC, low-voltage AC, or pulsed-power experience.
• Familiarity with UL, NSF, and field electrical codes, including NSF/ANSI 61 materials context where it applies to wetted or packaged hardware.
• Industrial water or process-plant deployment experience.
• PLC and drive-integration literacy.
• Electrochemical or electrolyzer power-supply experience and working knowledge of how waveform shapes affect electrode behavior.
• Experience with simulation tools for thermal and electromagnetic analysis, such as ANSYS or equivalent, and CAD tools for electrical design, such as AutoCAD Electrical or EPLAN.
• Reliability engineering and accelerated-life testing of power-related hardware.
• Knowledge of controls, instrumentation, automation, and SCADA or PLC systems.

Responsibilities

• Design power and voltage-conversion hardware to meet reactor electrical-duty requirements, in collaboration with the chemical principal.
• Design and specify voltage-conversion and distribution devices for high-current and, where required, pulsed or pulse-reverse duty.
• Translate reactor electrical duty into robust supply specifications and relate operating parameters to reactor performance, efficiency, and energy use.
• Design for efficiency across the real operating range, not only at the nameplate point.
• Own panel integration, protection coordination, grounding and bonding, and power quality.
• Define and verify electrical safety and code compliance for packaged modules.
• Mitigate thermal, electromagnetic interference (EMI), and harmonic effects at component, panel, and system levels.
• Partner with Mechanical and Controls teams on PLC integration and safe-state electrical behavior.
• Build and run electrical FAT, including efficiency, thermal, harmonics, and fault-condition testing.
• Establish performance, durability, and reliability specifications for electrical power hardware.
• Diagnose failures to root cause and incorporate findings into subsequent designs.
• Develop and document SOPs, design protocols, and safety guidelines for electrical-system installation, operation, and maintenance.
• Perform calculations, simulations, and analyses, including thermal and electromagnetic work, to optimize performance and reliability.
• Drive design for manufacture (DFM) for power components and assemblies.
• Qualify suppliers and manage the supply chain for voltage-conversion and distribution devices, semiconductors, magnetics, and critical electrical power components.
• Partner with manufacturing on assembly protocols, quality control, and cost-reduction initiatives.
• Support commissioning and field electrical troubleshooting, feeding failures back into the design process.
• Set electrical design standards and develop reusable templates.
• Mentor junior engineers, raise the electrical-engineering bar across the team, and generate intellectual property.
• Represent VVater technically with customers, partners, and suppliers.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior