Senior Application Engineer – Low Voltage GaN Digital Power (Firmware & Hardware)

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Application Engineer with strong hands-on firmware development experience for digitally controlled low-voltage power converters combined with practical power electronics hardware design and validation skills.

This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys working across firmware hardware and lab validation and who can independently develop debug and validate low-voltage GaN-based power converter solutions such as DC-DC regulators AC-DC front-end converters and low-voltage motor drive inverters.

Given the lean team structure the candidate is expected to personally own firmware development hardware bring-up and lab testing from concept through validated reference designs.

Key Responsibilities

Firmware Development & Digital Control

• Design implement and debug embedded firmware for digital control of low-voltage power converters.
• Develop and tune control algorithms such as:
  • Digital voltage/current control loops (PID Type II/III digital compensators)
  • Current-mode and voltage-mode control
  • Motor control algorithms (e.g. trapezoidal control FOC for low-voltage BLDC/PMSM)
• Implement real-time firmware features including:
  • Fault protection (OCP OVP OTP)
  • Soft-start sequencing and system state management
  • Telemetry sensing and digital communication (PMBus UART SPI I²C)
• Optimize firmware for fast switching low latency and real-time performance in GaN-based systems.

Power Hardware Design & Hands-On Testing

• Design and develop low-voltage power converter hardware using GaN FETs including:
  • Non-isolated and isolated DC-DC converters
  • AC-DC auxiliary or front-end supplies
  • Low-voltage motor drive inverters
• Perform hands-on hardware bring-up debugging and validation in the lab.
• Execute measurements related to:
  • Switching behavior efficiency and losses
  • Gate drive performance and dead-time optimization
  • Thermal performance and power density
  • EMI/EMC pre-compliance testing
• Actively iterate hardware designs based on lab results and firmware interaction.

HardwareFirmware Integration

• Validate and optimize closed-loop system performance of digitally controlled power converters.
• Debug complex issues spanning:
  • Control-loop instability
  • Noise coupling between power stage and control electronics
  • Timing interactions between firmware and power hardware
• Ensure robust interaction between GaN power stages gate drivers sensing circuits and control firmware.

Reference Design & Evaluation Platform Development

• Develop evaluation boards and reference designs highlighting low-voltage GaN solutions.
• Deliver complete solutions including:
  • Schematics and layouts
  • Embedded firmware
  • Test results and performance reports
• Support internal and external design enablement using these platforms.

Customer & Field Support

• Provide deep technical support to customers designing low-voltage GaN-based power systems.
• Assist customers with:
  • Firmware adaptation and tuning
  • Hardware debugging and system optimization
• Participate in design reviews customer discussions and technical workshops.

Technical Documentation & Knowledge Sharing

• Create high-quality application notes design guides and firmware documentation.
• Document best practices for digital control of low-voltage GaN power converters.
• Contribute to internal knowledge sharing and training.

Qualifications :

Education

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Experience

• 5 years of experience in:
  • Embedded firmware development for power electronics and
  • Hands-on power converter hardware design and validation
• Proven experience personally owning firmware hardware lab testing.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of low-voltage power electronics including:
  • DC-DC topologies (buck boost buck-boost resonant)
  • Motor drive inverters for low-voltage systems
• Solid grasp of digital control theory applied to power converters.
• Embedded C/C programming for real-time systems.
• Experience with microcontrollers or DSPs commonly used in digital power and motor control.
• Proficient with lab equipment: oscilloscopes power analyzers current probes signal generators.
• Schematic capture and PCB design experience (Altium or equivalent).

Additional Hardware Design Capability

• Hands-on experience creating power electronics schematics and reviewing component selection for low-voltage GaN-based converters.
• Practical experience with PCB design and layout for highspeed lowvoltage GaN power stages including:
  • Gate drive and power loop optimization
  • Current sensing and feedback routing
  • Noise mitigation and grounding best practices
• Comfortable performing PCB bring-up rework and debug including probing fast-switching GaN nodes and resolving layout-related issues.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with low-voltage GaN-based power converters.
• Experience with high-frequency switching optimization and layout-sensitive designs.
• Familiarity with simulation tools (PLECS MATLAB/Simulink) for control and power-stage modeling.
• Experience supporting customers or field applications.

Soft Skills

• Comfortable working in a small hands-on engineering team.
• Strong debugging mindset and system-level thinking.
• Clear communication skills for customer-facing and internal collaboration.
• Ability to independently drive projects from concept to validated solution.

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.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time