Staff Motor Controls Engineer

Ford • Long Beach, CA

2d • $150,200 - $283,500 • Hybrid

About The Position

The drive-inverter controls engineer will develop advanced control algorithms for automotive traction inverter systems to optimize reliability, performance, efficiency, and cost. Further, algorithms to monitor and manage the state of system components are developed to ensure safe operation of the assets and guarantee the desired durability of all components. In general, it is expected that the motor controls engineer will stay informed about industry trends, support validation and testing activities, and contribute to technology roadmaps and customer-facing attributes.

Requirements

• Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics Degree or similar degree
• 10+ years of experience designing, developing, and releasing products.
• Sound knowledge of power electronics and control theory.
• Experience coding control algorithms and inverter applications in embedded C.
• Experience designing and optimizing controls for motor inverters, chargers, DCDCs, or similar mass-produced automotive grade power electronic products.
• Hands-on experience building, optimizing, and launching motor control systems using induction motors and/or PMSMs for traction control
• Strong power electronics and digital controls background, particularly in motor drive applications, DCDC, and/or chargers.
• Experience in modeling control systems using MATLAB/Simulink, PLECS or similar.
• Hands-on experience building and launching automotive products and prototyping powertrain systems.
• Ability to read and interpret component datasheets, PCB schematics and layout design.

Nice To Haves

• PhD degree in engineering
• Knowledge of fault tolerant machine topologies and optimization of inverters for sensorless control.
• Deep understanding of sensorless controls techniques.
• Experience with Microsoft Office, Confluence, and Jira applications.
• Experience with instrumentation and measurement of powertrain systems in a lab environment.
• Experience using git or similar version control system.
• An eagerness to work cross-functionally in a dynamic environment where you are part of a high performing team.
• A systems approach to design and development with the desire and curiosity to strive for exceptional delivery execution and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement control algorithms for automotive traction inverter systems, ensuring reliability, safety, optimal performance and efficiency.
• Develop and implement controls algorithms to monitor and diagnose the state of system components.
• Develop firmware for the traction inverter and power electronic systems. Firmware will be enabled to support continuous improvements and optimizations for high-volume applications through over-the-air (OTA) updates.
• Develop control system simulations to verify algorithms.
• Participate in inverter hardware selection and optimization for durability, efficiency, and performance.
• Develop block and system diagrams to showcase interactions between subsystems.
• Develop, analyze and interpret system requirements and develop technical specifications for control system components, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations, and correlated analytical models.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate control strategies with hardware and software components and validate system functionality through simulation and testing.
• Identify and track key system decisions that establish technology roadmaps and customer facing attributes.
• Utilize necessary tools such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, and frequency response analyzers to bring-up and test controls on target hardware.
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis efforts to identify and resolve control system-related issues and implement corrective actions to improve system performance and reliability.
• Stay current with industry trends and advancements in control theory, power electronics, and automotive technologies, and apply this knowledge to enhance control system designs and functionalities.
• Support the development of validation and verification plans.
• Participate in testing and validation activities to ensure control system performance and safety requirements are met.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree