Staff Systems Engineer

ITW

1d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Staff Systems Engineer with broad expertise spanning analog electrical hardware design, real-time embedded firmware, digital signal processing, and motor drive systems. This role operates at the intersection of precision instrumentation, closed-loop controls, and power electronics - including high performance inverter design to drive permanent magnet motors in motorsports applications. This is a senior individual contributor role with broad technical ownership. You will shape architecture, lead design reviews, and drive solutions in areas where hardware and software are deeply intertwined — while mentoring the engineers around you.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field
7+ years of hands-on experience spanning embedded firmware, analog hardware design, and real-time control systems
Demonstrated experience with EtherCAT or a comparable industrial fieldbus in a production environment
Experience designing or integrating motor drive systems for PMSM/BLDC motors
Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink and Python for simulation and algorithm development
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to author clear technical documentation
Altium, OrCAD, or equivalent schematic capture and layout tools
Target IDE, JTAG, compiler toolchains
Git/Azure DevOps

Nice To Haves

Motorsports background a plus

Responsibilities

Design and validate sensor signal conditioning chains for LVDTs, strain gauges, load cells, and piezoelectric/IEPE accelerometers
Apply DSP techniques — filtering (FIR/IIR), FFT/PSD/FRF analysis, and sampling strategies — to ensure signal integrity across the analog-digital boundary
Define ADC requirements (resolution, dynamic range, latency) from application needs; troubleshoot signal quality issues including ground loops, EMI, and cabling
Design hard real-time firmware with deterministic scheduling, interrupt management, and multi-rate task structures
Architect and implement control algorithms (PID variants, cascade, feedforward, gain scheduling) for precision actuator/sensor systems
Develop system identification procedures, auto-tuning workflows, and simulation models (Simulink, Python) to validate algorithms before firmware deployment
Write production-quality embedded C/C++ for real-time targets (ARM Cortex-R/M, DSP cores, Intel platforms)
Integrate peripherals (SPI, I2C, DMA, ADC/DAC) and design firmware architectures that cleanly separate real-time control, communications, and configuration layers
Develop HALs/BSPs for new hardware platforms; use standard debug tools (JTAG, trace, logic analyzers) to verify real-time performance
Architect and implement EtherCAT-based communication for distributed I/O systems, including object dictionary design, PDO mapping, and slave stack development
Working knowledge of complementary protocols: Modbus, CANopen, CAN FD
Lead hardware architecture definition and component trade studies for new platforms
Apply mixed-signal PCB design principles: signal partitioning, grounding, power planes, thermal management, and controlled impedance
Select components with attention to lifecycle, sourcing risk, industrial temperature ratings, and obsolescence; support design reviews with awareness of CE, UL, and EU CRA requirements
Design inverter hardware for motors across low-voltage (12–48V) and high-voltage (400–800V) ranges, including gate drive circuits, DC bus filtering, snubber networks, and current sensing
Select and apply power switching devices (SiC MOSFETs, IGBTs) with appropriate thermal management strategies for sustained motorsport duty cycles
Implement field-oriented control (FOC) in firmware: Clarke/Park transforms, PI current regulators, PWM generation, and rotor position decoding (encoder/resolver or sensorless)
Tune and validate drive performance across the full operating envelope; implement protection logic for overcurrent, overvoltage, thermal derating, and safe-state discharge
Ensure compliance with HV safety, insulation, and interlock requirements for motorsport applications
Trace requirements and failure modes across the full analog → digital → firmware → software stack; lead cross-discipline design reviews that span hardware/software boundaries
Decompose and allocate requirements across HW/FW/SW teams; develop system-level integration test plans and acceptance criteria
Author architecture trade studies and technical position documents for leadership
Mentor junior engineers and elevate team capability across the embedded systems discipline