Senior Staff Application Engineer – GaN, Automotive Application

Job Description:

We are looking for a highly skilled Senior Staff Application Engineer to lead technical innovation and customer enablement for high-voltage GaN (Gallium Nitride) solutions in automotive power electronics. This role focuses on driving product definition developing advanced reference designs and enabling next-generation AC-DC and DC-DC systems for electric vehicles (EV) onboard chargers traction inverters and energy storage systems. You will act as a technical authority mentor engineers and collaborate with OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers to accelerate GaN adoption in automotive platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Product Definition & Technical Leadership
  • Define new high-voltage GaN products for automotive applications ensuring compliance with industry standards (AEC-Q ISO 26262).
  • Influence roadmap planning and lead cross-functional technical initiatives.
• Reference Design & Evaluation Platforms
  • Architect and develop automotive-grade reference designs and evaluation boards for EV powertrain and charging systems.
  • Ensure designs meet stringent requirements for efficiency thermal performance EMI and functional safety.
• Customer Enablement & Expert Support
  • Provide deep technical support to automotive customers including design reviews troubleshooting and on-site visits.
  • Conduct technical workshops and training sessions for OEMs and Tier-1 partners.
• Technical Documentation & Thought Leadership
  • Create high-quality application notes design guides and white papers tailored to automotive use cases.
  • Represent the company at automotive industry conferences and technical forums.
• Feedback Integration & Continuous Improvement
  • Gather customer insights and relay feedback to influence product enhancements and future innovations.
• Mentorship & Collaboration
  • Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical excellence across teams.
  • Work closely with Product Management R&D and Quality teams to ensure compliance and reliability.

Qualifications

• Education:
  • Bachelors or Masters degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
  • Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Power Electronics preferred.
• Experience:
  • 8 years in power electronics design and application engineering with significant exposure to automotive systems.
  • Hands-on experience with AC-DC DC-DC and DC-AC converters for EV platforms onboard chargers and traction inverters.
• Technical Expertise:
  • Strong fundamentals in power electronics and WBG (Wide Bandgap) device switching.
  • Proficiency in schematic design and PCB layout (Altium preferred).
  • Experience with simulation tools (PLECS LTSpice Simplis).
  • Knowledge of magnetic component design (inductors transformers).
• Preferred:
  • Familiarity with automotive standards (AEC-Q100 ISO 26262) and EMI/EMC compliance.
  • Firmware development experience for power electronics.
• Soft Skills:
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for customer engagement.
  • Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting capabilities.

Core Competencies

• Technical leadership and systems thinking
• Automotive compliance and safety awareness
• Customer-centric problem solving
• Mentorship and knowledge sharing
• Operational excellence and reliability engineering

Additional Information :

Renesas is an embedded semiconductor solution provider driven by its Purpose To Make Our Lives Easier. As the industrys leading expert in embedded processing with unmatched quality and system-level know-how we have evolved to provide scalable and comprehensive semiconductor solutions for automotive industrial infrastructure and IoT industries based on the broadest product portfolio including High Performance Computing Embedded Processing Analog & Connectivity and Power.
 
With a diverse team of over 21000 professionals in more than 30 countries we continue to expand our boundaries to offer enhanced user experiences through digitalization and usher into a new era of innovation. We design and develop sustainable power-efficient solutions today that help people and communities thrive tomorrow To Make Our Lives Easier.     
 
At Renesas you can: 

• Launch and advance your career in technical and business roles across four Product Groups and various corporate functions. You will have the opportunities to explore our hardware and software capabilities and try new things.  

• Make a real impact by developing innovative products and solutions to meet our global customers evolving needs and help make peoples lives easier safe and secure. 

• Maximize your performance and wellbeing in our flexible and inclusive work environment. Our people-first culture and global support system including the remote work option and Employee Resource Groups will help you excel from the first day.    

Are you ready to own your success and make your mark  

Join Renesas. Lets Shape the Future together.  

Renesas Electronics is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to supporting diversity and fostering a work environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex race religion national origin gender gender identity gender expression age sexual orientation military status veteran status or any other basis protected by law. For more information please read our Diversity & Inclusion Statement.

We have adopted a hybrid model that gives employees the ability to work remotely two days a week while ensuring that we come together as a team in the office the rest of the time. The designated in-office days are Tuesday through Thursday for innovation collaboration and continuous learning.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time