Principal Power Electronics Engineer in Edinburgh

IONATE is a deep-tech scale-up building the technology backbone for smart electricity grids. Our team is looking for a Principal Power Electronics Engineer to lead the development of our game-changing green technology whilst growing within our world-class team.

This role will suit someone who thrives in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, where no two days are the same. With a focus on grid-connected converter design such as Power Conversion Systems (PCS), EV chargers, or Solid-State Transformers (SST), you will lead and contribute to analyses, design reviews, simulations, technical discussions, verification and validation processes. We are looking for an innovative engineer with strong technical judgement, ground reasoning, and hands-on experience. You will contribute directly to live projects and testing activities, collaborating closely with the team to develop IONATE's state-of-the-art technology.

What you will do:

• Power Electronics Design & Development
  • Lead the architecture, design, and development of advanced power electronics systems for grid-connected applications.
  • Design, prototype and validate power conversion systems (AC-DC, DC-DC, AC-AC), including high-frequency and high-power topologies.
  • Develop mixed-signal circuits, including but not limited to ADC sensing chains, PWM control, and gate driver for high-performance converters.
  • Oversee and contribute to PCB design and layout, with strong emphasis on signal integrity, power density and manufacturability.
  • Lead EMI/EMC design and compliance activities, ensuring products meet relevant regulatory standards for grid-connected equipment.
• Testing, Debugging & Validation
  • Lead system level validation strategies, including test planning, verification and certification activities.
  • Conduct and oversee root-cause analysis and debugging across prototype and production stages.
  • Support lab bring-up, testing and performance optimisation of power electronics systems.
• Technical Leadership
  • Take ownership of hardware design from concept to production, ensuring compliance with safety, quality and international standards.
  • Act as the Technical Lead for key power electronics development, defining system architecture, key technology choices or trade-offs, and validation plans.
  • Drive design decisions across converter topologies, control strategies, magnetics and system integration.
  • Lead technical reviews, mentor engineers and set best practices across power electronics activities.
• Documentation & Process
  • Create and maintain high-quality engineering documentation, including system requirements, design specification, technical analysis and testing reports.
  • Support external communications by contributing to technical presentations, product documentation and customer-facing materials.
  • Ensure adherence to relevant industry standards and internal engineering processes.

What will you need:

• Degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Power Electronics (or equivalent), with extensive experience in end-to-end product development – from concept through to commercialisation.
• Strong track record in designing and delivering high-voltage, high-power power electronics converters.
• Deep understanding of advanced converter topologies such as CHB, LLC, DAB, MMC and their application(s) in grid-connected systems.
• Proven expertise in power electronics design, including component selection, magnetics, control interfaces and system-level integration.
• Experience with circuit modelling, simulation and PCB design, using tools such as SPICE, MATLAB/Simulink and Altium (or equivalent).
• Hands-on experience in laboratory testing, validation and debugging using equipment such as oscilloscopes, power analysers and grid simulators.
• Experience designing for manufacturability, reliability and compliance in production environments.
• Demonstrate technical leadership, including setting technical direction, leading design reviews and mentoring engineers.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams and engage with external stakeholders; willingness to travel as required.
• Willingness to travel nationally and internationally to support testing and commissioning or present in conferences.

It would be useful to have:

• Experience designing and testing high-voltage power electronics systems, such as Power Conversion Systems (PCS), EV chargers, Solid-State Transformer (SST), HVDC/STATCOM or medium-voltage VFD (Variable Frequency Drive).
• Experience designing systems to meet EMC/EMI compliance requirements.
• Experience designing and testing commercially-ready systems for CE/UL/TUV certification, including working with external certification bodies.
• Familiarity with system-level control of grid-connected converters, including grid synchronisation, protection and stability considerations.
• Background in volume manufacturing environments, including design for cost optimisation, yield improvement and supplier engagement.
• Understanding of energy systems applications such as DC-grid, renewable integration or energy storage systems.

Employee Option Plan: You get equity in IONATE, so as we succeed so do you.

Private Medical & Dental Insurance: From day one, we provide you with full, comprehensive private medical and dental cover through Bupa. You also have the option to add any dependents to your cover.

Company pension: a flexible and sustainable pension product to help you plan for your future.

Career Development: It's important to us that you have the opportunity for ongoing professional development and career growth. You will receive an annual budget for professional development and work with your team to set and reach goals every year.

Flexible working schedules: You will have the flexibility for work-from-home arrangements.

Cycle to Work Scheme: Low carbon travel is important for everyone, so we have in place a cycle scheme to help you purchase a bicycle.

Slow travel: We believe in a low carbon future, so if you wish to travel by a lower carbon method – but it takes much longer than flying – we will give you an extra 2 slow travel days per year.