Staff Patent Engineer- Medium Voltage SST Products

Responsibilities

• Lead patentability strategy for our medium voltage Solid State Transformer product portfolio, working directly with R&D and product teams to identify and protect breakthrough innovations.
• Own end-to-end invention disclosure development — from engineering conversations to submission-ready disclosures — and manage prosecution activities in close coordination with outside patent counsel.
• Conduct prior art searches and provide expert patentability assessments for new inventions spanning power conversion topologies, control algorithms, magnetics, thermal management, and grid integration.
• Define and execute a long-range IP portfolio strategy aligned to our SST product roadmap and business objectives.
• Monitor the competitive patent landscape across medium voltage power electronics and SST-adjacent technologies to inform R&D and product strategy.
• Mentor engineers across the organization on invention identification, disclosure best practices, and IP awareness to build a strong innovation culture.
• Serve as the primary IP interface between engineering teams, business development, and legal counsel throughout the product lifecycle.
• Support international patent filing strategies (PCT, EPO) in coordination with outside counsel.

Qualifications

• Technical degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, or a closely related field; Master's or Ph.D. strongly preferred.
• 5–8 years of experience in power electronics engineering, with solid expertise in medium voltage systems, solid-state transformers, or advanced converter technologies.
• Proven track record of building and managing IP portfolios in a complex, fast-moving technology domain.
• Strong working knowledge of power semiconductor devices (IGBTs, SiC MOSFETs), converter topologies (DAB, resonant converters, multilevel), and grid-connected applications.
• Demonstrated ability to read, interpret, and strategically evaluate patent claims and technical literature.
• USPTO registration as a Patent Agent or Patent Attorney strongly preferred.
• Experience using patent search and analytics platforms (Derwent, PatSnap, Espacenet, or similar).
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a bias toward action and the ability to drive IP initiatives with a high degree of ownership.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills — able to translate complex engineering concepts into clear, strategically sound patent language.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 10%, including internationally.