Bay Area, CA, United StatesMechanical Engineering
Company Overview:
Amperesand is disrupting industrial power with the first commercialized Solid State Transformer systems. Solid State Transformer systems are much more than a transformer replacement, enabling numerous advanced features to unlock solutions for data centers, EV charging, renewables, microgrids, and industrial installations. We are looking for mission-driven team members passionate about making amazing products for worldwide electrification at maximum acceleration. Amperesand is building a global company and looking for talent across our geographies.
We are seeking a skilled Staff Thermal and Simulations Engineer to join our team and contribute to the development of high-performance power electronics products. As a Staff Thermal and Simulations Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, analyzing, and optimizing thermal management systems specifically for power electronics and power converter applications. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including mechanical, electrical, and materials engineers, to ensure efficient thermal performance and reliability in high-power density environments.
Responsibilities:
Design and develop advanced thermal management solutions for power electronics, including heat sinks, liquid cooling systems, cast cooling plates, and phase-change materials.
Conduct thermal simulations and analyses using software tools such as ANSYS, MATLAB/Simulink, or SIMULIA CST Studio, with a focus on high-power-density applications.
Evaluate materials and heat dissipation techniques to enhance thermal performance in power electronics systems.
Collaborate with product design teams to integrate thermal solutions into high-voltage and high-power architectures in converter systems.
Perform experimental testing and validation of thermal solutions through prototype evaluation.
Troubleshoot and resolve thermal-related issues in power electronics product development and manufacturing.
Work with suppliers and manufacturing teams to ensure the feasibility of thermal designs in production.
Own and drive hardware validation efforts for thermal systems and components such as compressors, pumps, fans, heat exchangers, etc.
Design and implement test infrastructure, such as buck setup or HIL/SIL platforms, to break down system-level validation into sub-system-level validation.
Lead the test plan execution for hardware performance validation – including test planning, setup design, development, execution, and continuous feedback for new hardware revisions
Identify, escalate, and resolve issues with hardware and firmware during system bring up, performance and fault injection testing
Conduct creepage and clearance studies along with the mechanical design team to ensure compliance with electrical insulation and safety standards in high-voltage power electronics
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or a related field.
Proficiency in thermal simulation software (ANSYS, SIMULIA CST Studio, etc.).
Proficiency in CAD for design and release; CATIA V6 preferred
Proficiency in MATLAB or Python for thermal data analysis.
8+ years of experience in thermal systems for power electronics and mechanical engineering, with 4+ years of expertise in Si MOSFET and/or Wide Band Gap (GaN, SiC) thermal systems.
Experience with potting materials for thermal and electrical insulation.
Expertise in MOSFET and IGBT power modeling, measurement, and active power management.
Experience with system-level features, product binning methods, optimization techniques, and tools for data analysis and statistics.
Experience with CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) for power electronics cooling.
Strong understanding of heat transfer principles, including conduction, convection, and radiation, as applied to high-power-density systems.
Familiarity with thermal testing methodologies and data acquisition techniques.
Hands-on experience with prototyping and laboratory testing of power electronics cooling solutions.
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent leadership and communication skills, with experience in guiding cross-functional teams.