Senior Power Electronics Performance & Application Engineer

Caterpillar•Mossville, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Caterpillar’s Integrated Drivetrain Energy Solutions (IDES) Division develops electrified power trains, zero-emissions products and technologies, and associated solutions and services. Its focus areas include batteries, fuel cells, motors, inverters, microgrid controllers, charging, energy storage systems, lifecycle solutions and services, and component integration for ePowertrain solutions across industries. The Senior Power Electronics Performance & Application Engineer provides technical leadership for the analysis, simulation, application, and electrical integration of Medium Voltage Power Electronics (MVPE) solutions across electrified machine platforms. The engineer translates machine- and system-level requirements into power electronics performance requirements, component selections, system architectures, and validated designs. The role uses modeling, simulation, trade studies, and engineering analysis to optimize inverters, converters, power modules, DC-link systems, protection, and related electrical systems for performance, efficiency, reliability, thermal capability, cost, and application needs. The engineer works across product development and machine application teams to ensure MVPE solutions function as integrated electrical systems from concept through validation and production. The position is located in Mossville, Illinois, and requires onsite work five days per week. Domestic travel of up to 25% and minimal international travel are required. Domestic relocation assistance is offered; visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, power electronics, systems engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
Demonstrated experience in electrical system analysis, power electronics, electric drive systems, or electrified machine applications.
Experience applying modeling and simulation to engineering design and component selection.
Strong understanding of electrical circuits, power conversion, system interactions, and engineering fundamentals.
Strong analytical problem-solving and technical communication skills.
Extensive process-management experience, including process evaluation, diagnosis, optimization, and coordination across teams.
Extensive accuracy and attention-to-detail capabilities, including processing detailed information accurately and applying quality assurance methods.
Extensive analytical-thinking and problem-solving capabilities, including investigating causes, comparing alternatives, and resolving significant problems.
Working knowledge of effective communications, technical excellence, project management, and computer-aided design and engineering.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in electrical engineering, power electronics, or a related discipline.
Experience with medium- or high-voltage power electronics, including inverters, converters, power modules, DC-link systems, bus structures, and protection systems.
Experience with power electronics simulation tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, PLECS, PSIM, SPICE, or comparable modeling environments.
Knowledge of semiconductor technologies and application considerations, including IGBT and SiC devices, switching behavior, losses, thermal limits, and device protection.
Experience analyzing system efficiency, electrical losses, transient behavior, harmonics, thermal loading, fault conditions, and component life.
Experience correlating simulation predictions with component, laboratory, or machine-level test results.
Familiarity with diesel-electric, battery-electric, Dynamic Energy Transfer, or other high-power electrified equipment applications.
Experience supporting NPI activities, technical design reviews, DFMEA, DVP&R, requirements development, and validation planning.

Responsibilities

Develop and apply electrical and system-level models to predict power electronics performance, evaluate operating conditions, identify design limits, and guide architecture and component decisions.
Lead analytical selection and sizing of power semiconductors, DC-link capacitors, bus structures, contactors, protection devices, filtering components, sensors, and supporting power-conversion hardware.
Translate machine requirements into electrical architectures, component requirements, interface definitions, operating envelopes, and design constraints for MVPE systems.
Partner with controls, electrical, mechanical, thermal, validation, and machine integration teams to optimize system-level performance.
Analyze machine duty cycles, voltage and current requirements, transient conditions, thermal loading, fault conditions, and other application requirements to size and apply power electronics solutions appropriately.
Lead technical trade studies evaluating architecture, topology, component technology, performance, efficiency, thermal capability, reliability, packaging, cost, and system implications; provide recommendations and influence design direction.
Define performance requirements and validation methods, correlate analytical models with laboratory and machine test data, investigate performance gaps, and improve simulation fidelity throughout development.
Serve as a technical resource for power electronics analysis and application engineering; coach engineers in simulation and analytical methods.
Help establish reusable models, analysis methods, design guidelines, and engineering best practices.
Collaborate with global engineering teams, suppliers, manufacturing, validation teams, and machine programs through concept development, NPI, validation, and production implementation.