Senior Power Electronics Engineer

Tau•Redwood City, CA

About The Position

Tau is a venture-backed advanced technology company based in the Bay Area (Redwood City, CA). We design and develop next-generation products for electrification, constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation. The company was started because we believe the key to a more sustainable future requires modern power conversion systems to increase the security of the world’s energy. We have pioneered technologies that leverage software-enabled hardware to provide industry-leading scale, economics, and efficiencies. Our systems include innovations across electric machines, inverters, controllers, thermal management, simulation, and charging systems. Tau's team of engineers, scientists, technologists, operators, and industry leaders continues to advance our internal technology roadmap while collaborating with commercial partners to deploy our existing products to market. They are relentlessly pursuing the creation of efficient power conversion systems for a more sustainable future. At our core, Tau is made of exceptionally talented and mission-aligned people. Developing complex electromechanical systems is an interdisciplinary challenge. We want to expand our team with diverse engineering, scientific, and operational expertise. About you We are looking for people who aren't afraid to take on new challenges and are as passionate about energy and electrification as we are: You find significant challenges exciting and enjoy discovering and defining problems as much as solving them. You deliver. You may enjoy thoughtful conversations about problems and perfecting design, but ultimately, you know that delivering innovative, effective, and reliable solutions matters. You are a cross-disciplinary team member. You are excited to work with, learn from, and contribute to technology teams ranging from electromagnetics, power electronics, controls systems, mechanical, materials, software, computational physics, and beyond. About the Role We seek a Senior-level Power Electronics engineer to join our growing team, advance our internal technology roadmap, and translate our innovative products to market with our commercial partners. As a member of the power electronics organization, you will help expand our modeling and simulation capabilities to holistically incorporate topology selection, modulation methods, and critical component selection. There is an emphasis on optimizing custom magnetic and passive filter components for our highly demanding applications.

Requirements

Strong fundamentals of power electronics architectures, design implementation, modulation methods, and functional modeling
Demonstrated expertise in magnetic component design, specifically inductors and transformers for high-current and high-frequency applications.
A first-principles understanding of analytical and numerical methods for solving complex optimization problems.
Proficiency with both MATLAB/Simulink and PLECS for model development
Confidence writing and maintaining Python software for automation and analysis of large datasets.
Fluent multi-level and cross-functional communication: tight engagement with multiple domain-specific experts and executive level leadership.
Strong communication and preference for collaboration and working in teams.
Ability to lead, inspire, and advocate for others; technically and organizationally
A goal-oriented approach to interactions with leadership; ability to break down a vision into a high-level plan and timeline for execution

Nice To Haves

Master's or PhD in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, mathematics, or equivalent degree focusing on power conversion systems.
In-depth understanding of finite element methods for solving electromagnetic problems
Hands-on experience fabricating magnetic components: complex winding patters, prototyping bobbins and fixtures, assembling ferrite cores, vacuum encapsulation
Knowledge of environmental, reliability, and safety requirements for Automotive, Industrial, & Residential applications.
Self-organized and motivated, comfortable managing complex projects.
Build strong relationships with external suppliers and strategic resource providers
Ability to quickly assess risks and mitigations, triage and efficiently set priorities
Track, summarize, and report progress on internal and external engagements; filter data into actionable information for leadership needs
Awareness of UL and CE electrical safety EMC requirements relevant to the design of power converters

Responsibilities

Help define the goals and requirements for internal tool ecosystems to address strategic business needs and enable future opportunities.
Adapt and integrate existing processes and technical expertise to enable co-optimization across multiple functional domains.
Translate and balance the needs of cross-functional teams with an emphasis on system-level solutions and product lifecycle considerations.
Design a test and validation plan for correlating modeling results through the development cycle and into production.
Contribute to the real-time data acquisition, monitoring, and diagnostics infrastructure for continuous integration; ensure consistency with virtual environments
Improve analytical and numerical methods for estimating core, winding, and parasitic losses in magnetic components.
Develop, build, and test specific inductor or transformer designs at the bench and in-system to validate model accuracy in context.
Maintain awareness of, and influence research and development in, technology roadmaps that can affect future power converter and system designs.
Create and maintain detailed documentation for administering and operating automated environments; ensure that tools are user-friendly and consistent across the ecosystem

Benefits

Become part of an emerging company during a rapid growth phase—within an industry undergoing dramatic transformation for a global imperative.
Work with some of the smartest and most talented experts from different fields to: (1) attack some of the most pressing issues of today while (2) contributing to technically demanding and deeply innovative solutions.
Growth potential—we advance team members who have an outsized impact.
Competitive compensation based upon experience level, including stock options—we believe in capturing value in the future we create together.
Flexible time off and paid holidays.
Centrally located in the Bay Area on the Peninsula in vibrant downtown Redwood City
Blocks from the Caltrain
Walking distance to food and entertainment
Easy access to both the 101 and 280
Excellent medical, dental, vision, and life insurance for full time team members.
Comprehensive benefits including 401(k), HSA and FSA benefits, commuter benefits, ancillary benefits including OneMedical membership, a variety of telehealth services, and more.