Power Electronics Engineer I

New ideas are all around us, but only a few will change the world. That’s our focus at JPL. We ask the biggest questions, then search the universe for answers—literally. We build upon ideas that have guided generations, then share our discoveries to inspire generations to come. Your mission—your opportunity—is to seek out the answers that bring us one step closer. If you’re driven to discover, create, and inspire something that lasts a lifetime and beyond, you’re ready for JPL.

Located in Pasadena, California, JPL has a campus-like environment situated on 177 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and offers a work environment unlike any other: we inspire passion, foster innovation, build collaboration, and reward excellence.

About the role

The Power Electronics Engineer will support JPL’s Power Electronics Group in designing, building, and testing next-generation space power hardware. In this role, the engineer will contribute to the full development cycle of power electronics—from initial concepts and subsystem design to hardware fabrication, testing, documentation, and delivery. The position involves hands-on work with laboratory test equipment, collaboration with senior engineers and project managers, and ensuring high-reliability standards for flight hardware.

JPL’s Power Electronics Group (345D) leads the research and development and flight applications of power systems, power electronics, power sources, energy storage, energy conversion, and related sensor systems. The group is dedicated to the development of power subsystem electronics concepts, implementation of power system architecture designs, design and implementation of hardware for flight projects, and support for proposal development and project formulation.

Responsibilities

• Design power electronics systems, subsystems, and test equipment.
• Coordinate the fabrication of prototype and flight hardware.
• Test both prototype and flight hardware to verify and validate that it operates correctly and that requirements are met, including environmental testing.
• Develop engineering documentation, including engineering drawings, circuit analyses, test procedures, and presentations for reviews.
• Work with other engineers to solve technical problems as they arise, both at the design level and during laboratory testing.
• Work with section and project managers to ensure that schedules are appropriately planned and met.
• Understand and ensure that appropriate procedures are followed and documentation developed to successfully deliver high-reliability flight hardware.
• Collaborate with Power Electronics Cognizant Engineers, Senior Design Engineers, Systems Engineers, and Technical Group Supervisors.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related technical subject area with typically a minimum of 1 year of related experience, or Master’s degree in similar disciplines with a minimum of 0 years of related experience.
• Experience with bench top test equipment, including DMMs, high current power supplies, electronic loads, various measurement probes, and oscilloscopes.
• Ability to test and debug circuits in the lab, both independently and in collaboration with others.
• Knowledge of and experience with computer-aided engineering software and tools for design and simulation of power electronics.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work with a diverse group of people.

Skills

• Experience in the design, development, fabrication, assembly, and test of power electronics or analog hardware, particularly focused on power systems and analog electronics in space environments.
• Military, aerospace, or space hardware development experience.
• Experience with LTSpice for simulation and Altium for schematic capture and PWB layout.
• Experience with test software and hardware, preferably using scripting languages like Python for automation.

Benefits

JPL offers a catalog of benefits and perks that span from the traditional to the unique, including:

• Health, dental, vision, wellbeing, and retirement plans.
• Paid time off, learning opportunities, rideshare, childcare, flexible schedule, and parental leave.

For benefits-eligible positions, benefits are effective the first day of the month coincident with or immediately following the employee’s start date.

Pay

The typical full-time equivalent annual hiring range for this job in Pasadena, California is $96,824 - $113,152.