Lead Power Supply Electronics Engineer

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s (LBNL) Engineering Division has an opening for a Lead Power Supply Electronics Engineer to join the team.

 

This position is responsible for leading all activities in the full system life cycle of the Power Conversion systems for electro-magnets, whether pulsed or continuous duty, range from tens of Watts to roughly 0.5 MW average. The Lead Engineer will be responsible for design work, planning and implementation, in collaboration with project management and other system engineers and scientists within the ALS (Advanced Light Source), ALS-U (Advanced Light Source Upgrade), other divisions, DOE labs, and the international accelerator community and will direct the efforts of engineers, associate engineers and technicians. This position is in the Engineering Division and is matrixed to the Advanced Light Source Upgrade project (ALSU), a project will install two new synchrotron rings and transfer lines and will report to the ALS Electrical Engineering Lead at ALS. The ALS-U is a world class fourth generation light source that will enable cutting edge research in many disciplines from energy to material and environmental sciences, to biology and chemistry.

 

What You Will Do:

• Lead the study, development, testing and implementation of power supplies and related controllers for high stability reliability and efficiency, including DC power supplies as well as pulsed power systems including those based on solid state and/or thyratron switching.
• Lead the complex design of and maintain power supply test stands, and develop test procedures including tuning of PID control loops.
• Design highly stable and reliable unipolar and bipolar power supplies.
• Analyze power supply reliability and develop maintenance procedures based on MTBF for power electronics and associated hardware. Design of pulsed magnetics, including finite element analysis and circuit models to simulate system performance.
• Supervise and direct engineers, coordinators, technical staff on assignments.
• Determine methods and procedures on assignments and system developments for ALS and/or ALS-U through the life cycle of each system including:
  • Determine the scope and develop the plan
  • Conduct systems analysis and develop the requirements
  • Create the system design
  • Conduct development work
  • Integrate and test prototypes
  • Direct the production and installation of power conversion equipment
  • Support operations and maintenance of the system
• Network with key contacts outside their own area of expertise to develop and maintain collaboration across diverse technical fields (accelerator physics, magnet design, controls, facilities engineering) to develop specifications and requirements for high stability power supplies.
• Present at design reviews for the ALS, ALS-U and other projects.
• Provide and maintain documentation of power electronics equipment.
• Lead and coordinate cost and schedule estimates for power electronics projects.
• May have occasional foreign and domestic travel to attend reviews, visit vendors and attend conferences and workshops.

Additional Responsibilities as needed:

• Act as a cost account manager for the ALS-U project, tracking progress, reporting earned value and managing variances and all project related activities.
• Lead cost and planning efforts such as estimates to complete, project planning and scheduling as well as plan and monitor all project related progress.
• Participate in developing electrical safety procedures for high voltage, current and/or energy devices.

 

What is Required:

• Requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience in power electronics, power supply or pulsed power R&D or design.
• Demonstrated record of leading the design, development, testing and installation of pulsed power, power electronic, high-voltage, or high-current systems.
• Demonstrated technical leadership in developing advanced concepts for pulsed power, power electronic systems, or high-voltage/high-current systems.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating multidisciplinary projects in design or upgrade of complex pulsed power or power electronic systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading a team of engineers and/or technicians.
• Demonstrated strong technical understanding and experience in power conversion engineering and has provided creative solutions to a range of issues.
• Demonstrated strong technical understanding and knowledge base with in as many of following technical areas as possible:
  •  High voltage, high current and high frequency switching
  • High stability, high accuracy and tight regulation power converters
  • Magnet systems and inductive loads including under ramping or pulsed profiles
  • Analog, logic and mixed signal circuit design, analysis and simulation using SPICE, Simplorer, Saber, or similar
  • Characteristics of and circuit design using power electronics devices including BJTs,MOSFETS and IGBTs
  • Integration of equipment into highly complex systems
  • Single phase and poly-phase AC circuits and power distribution
  • Communication and feedback control theory, including PID controllers
  • Knowledge of electrical codes and electrical safety such as NEC, LOTO and NFPA 70E
• CAD tools for schematic capture such as Orcad or Mentor Graphics and mechanical design such as AutoCad or other 2D and solid modeling tools.

 

Desired Qualifications:

• MS in Electronics Engineering, Physics or related discipline and a minimum of 6 years of experience with an emphasis on power electronics, power supplies or pulsed power R&D or design.
• Formal training, or equivalent experience in Project Management, PMP, EVMS.
• Electromagnetics analysis using 2D and 3D FEA codes such as MAXWELL, OPERA or similar.
• Thermal analysis and design, and the use of FEA codes.
• Experience with vacuum tubes and thyratrons.
• Systems controls using PLCs, PXI or similar.
• PCB layout and design including simulation.
• Familiarity with particle accelerators.
• Experience with the EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) toolkit.
• Programming skills such as MATLAB, FPGA languages, C/C++, and visual basic.

Salary Range:

The full salary range of this position is between $11,448.00 - $19,320.00 monthly and is expected to pay between a targeted range of $12,880.00 - $15,742.00 monthly depending upon the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and abilities, including education, certifications, and years of experience.

 

Notes:

• This is a full-time career appointment, exempt (monthly paid) from overtime pay.
• This position may be subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.
• Work will be primarily performed at: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA.

 

Berkeley Lab is committed to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) and strives to continue building community with these shared values and commitments. Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We heartily welcome applications from women, minorities, veterans, and all who would contribute to the Lab's mission of leading scientific discovery, inclusion, and professionalism. In support of our diverse global community, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

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