Senior Motor Controller Electrical Engineer

Allocor Tech•Crozet, VA

5d•$165,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

This role focuses on owning Taurus-class inverters, which are four-quadrant FOC/SVPWM drives operating from approximately 20 V to 405 V and up to 32 kW. These inverters are already in use on eVTOL, hybrid cargo aircraft, and electric hydrofoils, with short lead times and designs manufactured in Virginia. The engineer will be responsible for the entire process from schematic design to bring-up of SiC/Si MOSFET inverters, including gate drive, isolated sensing, DC link, protection, and thermal management. The role involves designing for demanding environments such as 80–400+ V, tens of kW peak, four-quadrant regeneration, IP67 packaging, and aerospace-grade vibration and thermal conditions. A key aspect is ensuring the analog front end is robust for accurate current sensing, offset, bandwidth, isolation, and ADC integrity, which are critical for Field-Oriented Control (FOC). Responsibilities also include reviewing drive layouts, debugging prototypes, addressing EMI and thermal issues, and supporting production testing. The engineer will also contribute to developing next-generation voltage and power classes, including ongoing work on 800 V systems.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in motor drives or high-voltage power stages (not point-of-load bucks).
Proficiency in BLDC/PMSM inverter topologies, gate drivers, current sensing, snubbers, creepage/clearance, and magnetics.
Strong schematic and layout judgment for mixed-signal, high-dv/dt boards (experience with Altium or equivalent).
Lab fluency with oscilloscopes, current probes, power analyzers, thermal cameras, and dynamometers or equivalent equipment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Silicon Carbide (SiC).
Familiarity with DO-160 standards.
Knowledge of CAN communication.
Experience with isolated communications.
Involvement in hybrid-electric or eVTOL programs.

Responsibilities

Own schematic-to-bring-up for SiC/Si MOSFET inverters, gate drive, isolated sensing, DC link, protection, and thermal path.
Design for 80–400+ V, tens of kW peak, four-quadrant regen, IP67 packaging, and aerospace vibration/thermal environments.
Ensure the analog front end (current sense, offset, bandwidth, isolation, ADC integrity) is optimized for FOC.
Conduct drive layout reviews, prototype testing, EMI/thermal debugging, and production test support.
Assist in developing next voltage and power classes, including 800 V systems.