Senior Electrical Engineer, Motor Controller

Frontgrade is seeking a visionary and highly technical Senior Electrical Engineer (Technical Fellow) to spearhead the architecture and development of next-generation motor control systems for aerospace applications. In this high-level role, you will lead a multidisciplinary team to design, analyze, manufacture and test high-power density inverters and motor drives for flight-critical actuation and electric propulsion. You will own the core control systems from initial concept through to final flight certification.

The Engineering Technical Fellow is an appointed position through a nomination process within the Technology Office. The Technical Fellow servers as a technical leader responsible for an Engineering discipline, driving innovation and excellence in related Engineering practices. This role involves providing expert guidance on complex Engineering tasks and projects, influencing strategic direction, and mentoring Engineering team members. The Technical Fellow is expected to leverage deep Engineering expertise to solve challenging problems, contribute to the development of new technologies, and enhance product quality. The ideal candidate will possess a strong track record of technical achievement, exceptional problem-solving skills, and the ability to communicate complex concepts in clear and concise manner.

Architectural Design: Lead the end-to-end design of advanced motor drives, power conversion hardware, and high-frequency inverters for stepper and BLDC motors in accordance with industry, NASA and Military standards.

Control Algorithm Development: Define, develop, and optimize high-bandwidth current loops (e.g., FOC, sensored and sensor-less control) running on real-time aerospace microcontrollers, FPGAs and DSPs.

Technical Leadership: Direct cross-functional design teams (hardware, software, mechanical), mentor junior engineers, and lead critical design reviews.

Modeling & Simulation: Perform rigorous performance, functional and sensitivity analyses, worst-case circuit analysis, and closed-loop motor drive simulations using tools like MATLAB/Simulink, ANSYS EDT, MAXWEL and similar tools.

Verification & Certification: Develop hardware test plans, perform bench validation, and ensure compliance with strict aerospace standards (e.g., NASA-EEE-INST-002, DO-160, MIL-STD-461, DO-178).

Vendor & Supplier Management: Interface with suppliers for component selection, prototyping, and manufacturing.

Education: B.S. in Electrical Engineering (or equivalent). M.S. or Ph.D. is highly preferred.

Experience: 8+ years of professional experience in embedded motor control hardware and/or software design, with at least 5 years in the aerospace or high-reliability robotics/automotive sectors.

Technical Mastery:

• Proficiency with embedded C/C++, auto-code generation, and real-time MCUs and FPGAs.
• Deep understanding of power electronics, PCB layout (e.g., Altium), and electromagnetic interference (EMI/EMC) mitigation.

Aerospace Compliance: Proven background navigating technology readiness levels (TRL) and aerospace/defense qualification processes.