Systems Engineer - Inverters
Apply NowCompany: Kristen J. Bates & Associates LLC
Location: Lawrence, MA 01841
Description:
Job Description
Yaskawa - Solectria Solar is America's leading manufacturer of high power photovoltaic inverters for solar applications. Join a driven and innovative team working in a fast paced and challenging high technology environment. Let your talent fuel one of the nation's fastest growing industries. We offer an excellent benefit package, the ability to work with cutting edge technology, and room for professional growth and career advancement within the company. Yaskawa - Solectria Solar is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
DUTIES:
1. Responsible to provide system design leadership and technical expertise throughout the full life cycle development of high powered PV inverters and associated projects
2. Write and own system level requirements for new inverter/converter designs. Derive firmware and hardware requirements from these.
3. Coordinate and lead of integration of new functions and features into inverter/converter products
4. Plan and execute dFMEAs for software and hardware and the interaction of the two
5. Responsible to design system level test plans
6. Review subsystem and full system models for products.
7. Coordinate directly between hardware, embedded software, application software, quality, reliability, and manufacturing teams to understand, correct, and eliminate complex electronics failure modes
8. Working with highly cross functional teams to design for reliability targets, cost targets, design
for test and manufacturability
9. Provide outstanding documentation of hardware designs and circuits
10. Mentor less experienced team members in engineering principles and management, oversee
detailed technical and safety training of employees
11. Effectively manage changes using internal processes such as ECO's, Deviations, etc.
12. Additional duties may be assigned, as business circumstances require
REQUIREMENTS:
Engineering Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:
1. The candidate should be a results-oriented team player who leads by example, takes ownership,
and champions process improvement initiatives
2. Power electronics background:
a. Power semiconductor implementation, design for efficiency, and protection.
b. Must understand the fundamentals of PWM controlled power electronics. Implementation
experience with buck, boost, flyback, and inverter power sections is expected.
c. Experience with high efficiency power stages, soft switching topologies.
3. Embedded Controls background:
a. CPU based systems, with significant analog and digital circuitry such as amplifiers, communications, memory, and I/O.
b. State machines, communication protocols
c. Software quality (MISRA-C) and software safety (UL1998)
4. Deep knowledge of circuit analysis and simulation to ensure design margin and reliability.
5. Significant experience in:
a. System dFMEAs
b. Hardware dFMEAs (UL 991 etc.)
c. Software dFMEAs (UL 1998 etc.)
6. Design background in harsh, electrically noisy environments.
7. Knowledge of Electrical safety standards, EMI/EMC and Environmental compliance.
8. Experience in design for long life and high MTBF.
9. Significant electronic circuit design, including Processor based systems, Communications
interfaces, OpAmps, Filters, Isolation, Circuit protection, voltage regulation and conversion.
10. Knowledge of mechanical/thermal/packaging design for industrial electronics.
11. Expertise in communications hardware layers of Wireless Ethernet, Wired Ethernet, USB, CAN,
SPI, and RS-485.
12. Direct experience with safe operation and testing of high power (up to 1.5MW) and high voltage
(up to 600VAC, 1500VDC) equipment.
13. Ability to understand complex designs and failure modes with software/hardware interactions.
14. Background in embedded C programming is a plus.
15. Experience in PV system design is a big plus.
16. Product agency certification for UL, CE, FCC, etc. is a big plus.
Business/Personal Skills:
1. Rapid product development, while maintaining high quality results.
2. Outstanding work ethic and positive attitude required.
3. Agile project management training and expertise
4. Advanced knowledge and experience in requirements management tools (such as ApiraTeam, etc)
5. Strong sense of schedule driven design, meeting cost targets, NRE decisions, feature/effort trade efforts, and design for manufacturing.
6. A high level of initiative and a proactive nature, good communication skills and strong organizational and time management skills.
7. Ability to support creation of schedules and work estimations for complex power electronics projects.
8. Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.
9. Ability to work as a leader or individual contributor, depending upon assignment.
10. Willingness to travel up to 10% of the time.
Education/Experience:
BSEE, BSSE, BSCE with 7 or more years' relevant experience. OR
MS with 6 or more years' relevant experience. OR
PH.D with 5 or more years' relevant experience
Yaskawa - Solectria Solar is America's leading manufacturer of high power photovoltaic inverters for solar applications. Join a driven and innovative team working in a fast paced and challenging high technology environment. Let your talent fuel one of the nation's fastest growing industries. We offer an excellent benefit package, the ability to work with cutting edge technology, and room for professional growth and career advancement within the company. Yaskawa - Solectria Solar is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
DUTIES:
1. Responsible to provide system design leadership and technical expertise throughout the full life cycle development of high powered PV inverters and associated projects
2. Write and own system level requirements for new inverter/converter designs. Derive firmware and hardware requirements from these.
3. Coordinate and lead of integration of new functions and features into inverter/converter products
4. Plan and execute dFMEAs for software and hardware and the interaction of the two
5. Responsible to design system level test plans
6. Review subsystem and full system models for products.
7. Coordinate directly between hardware, embedded software, application software, quality, reliability, and manufacturing teams to understand, correct, and eliminate complex electronics failure modes
8. Working with highly cross functional teams to design for reliability targets, cost targets, design
for test and manufacturability
9. Provide outstanding documentation of hardware designs and circuits
10. Mentor less experienced team members in engineering principles and management, oversee
detailed technical and safety training of employees
11. Effectively manage changes using internal processes such as ECO's, Deviations, etc.
12. Additional duties may be assigned, as business circumstances require
REQUIREMENTS:
Engineering Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:
1. The candidate should be a results-oriented team player who leads by example, takes ownership,
and champions process improvement initiatives
2. Power electronics background:
a. Power semiconductor implementation, design for efficiency, and protection.
b. Must understand the fundamentals of PWM controlled power electronics. Implementation
experience with buck, boost, flyback, and inverter power sections is expected.
c. Experience with high efficiency power stages, soft switching topologies.
3. Embedded Controls background:
a. CPU based systems, with significant analog and digital circuitry such as amplifiers, communications, memory, and I/O.
b. State machines, communication protocols
c. Software quality (MISRA-C) and software safety (UL1998)
4. Deep knowledge of circuit analysis and simulation to ensure design margin and reliability.
5. Significant experience in:
a. System dFMEAs
b. Hardware dFMEAs (UL 991 etc.)
c. Software dFMEAs (UL 1998 etc.)
6. Design background in harsh, electrically noisy environments.
7. Knowledge of Electrical safety standards, EMI/EMC and Environmental compliance.
8. Experience in design for long life and high MTBF.
9. Significant electronic circuit design, including Processor based systems, Communications
interfaces, OpAmps, Filters, Isolation, Circuit protection, voltage regulation and conversion.
10. Knowledge of mechanical/thermal/packaging design for industrial electronics.
11. Expertise in communications hardware layers of Wireless Ethernet, Wired Ethernet, USB, CAN,
SPI, and RS-485.
12. Direct experience with safe operation and testing of high power (up to 1.5MW) and high voltage
(up to 600VAC, 1500VDC) equipment.
13. Ability to understand complex designs and failure modes with software/hardware interactions.
14. Background in embedded C programming is a plus.
15. Experience in PV system design is a big plus.
16. Product agency certification for UL, CE, FCC, etc. is a big plus.
Business/Personal Skills:
1. Rapid product development, while maintaining high quality results.
2. Outstanding work ethic and positive attitude required.
3. Agile project management training and expertise
4. Advanced knowledge and experience in requirements management tools (such as ApiraTeam, etc)
5. Strong sense of schedule driven design, meeting cost targets, NRE decisions, feature/effort trade efforts, and design for manufacturing.
6. A high level of initiative and a proactive nature, good communication skills and strong organizational and time management skills.
7. Ability to support creation of schedules and work estimations for complex power electronics projects.
8. Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.
9. Ability to work as a leader or individual contributor, depending upon assignment.
10. Willingness to travel up to 10% of the time.
Education/Experience:
BSEE, BSSE, BSCE with 7 or more years' relevant experience. OR
MS with 6 or more years' relevant experience. OR
PH.D with 5 or more years' relevant experience