Principal Applications Engineer

Job Title

Principal Applications Engineer

Role Summary

Lead technical customer engagements to commercialize Vertical Semiconductor's vertical GaN power devices across 100 V–2300 V applications. Combine customer-facing support, hands-on converter evaluation, simulation/model development, and bench characterization to accelerate design-in and produce reference hardware and documentation.

This role reports to product/device teams and will own evaluation hardware, reference designs, simulation workflows, and technical collateral for strategic accounts.

Experience Level

Senior level. The role expects an experienced engineer (typically 5+ years in applications engineering or power-converter development) with demonstrated leadership in customer-facing technical roles.

Responsibilities

The position focuses on translating device performance into system-level advantages and enabling customer design-in.

• Act as senior technical interface for strategic accounts: translate customer specifications to device requirements and support design-in activities.
• Develop and maintain SPICE and/or PLECS simulation workflows and reusable solution templates for realistic converter environments.
• Design, lead development of, and validate evaluation/demo boards and reference designs (schematic/layout, BOM, bring-up and test plans).
• Perform system-level bench testing and high-voltage wide-bandgap device characterization; diagnose issues and drive optimizations.
• Create application notes, design guides, trainings, and measurement-informed models for customer enablement.
• Provide structured customer feedback to Device Engineering and Product teams on requirements, failure modes, and competitive insights.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience for immediate contribution.

• 5+ years in applications engineering supporting power semiconductor customers OR 5+ years developing power systems/converters.
• 5+ years developing or working with power converters (inverters, PFC, isolated DC-DC); experience delivering reference designs is a strong plus.
• Proven bench characterization experience with high-voltage, high-current wide-bandgap devices.
• Strong understanding of high-frequency power converter design: switching loss mechanisms, magnetics implications, layout/parasitics, and gate drive tradeoffs.
• Deep familiarity applying SiC and GaN devices in real converters, including common design pitfalls and best practices.
• Proficiency with SPICE and/or PLECS and the ability to develop models for rapid evaluation of power circuits.
• Experience with parasitic-aware layouts and EMI-aware design practices for fast-switching power stages.
• Strong technical communication skills and confidence in customer-facing engagements.
• Willingness to travel to customer sites and events (<25%).

Education Requirements

M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (Power Electronics) is listed; equivalent practical experience is explicitly acceptable. The posting references power-electronics-related degrees and allows practical experience in lieu of an advanced degree.

Location & Travel

Preference for candidates able to work in-office in Somerville, MA. Travel to customer sites and industry events under 25% of time.

Values & Culture Fit

Seeking an engineer comfortable with hands-on execution in a startup environment: collaborative, pragmatic, and focused on solving complex engineering challenges. Integrity, initiative, and problem-solving are emphasized.

Compensation

Competitive salary and benefits with participation in a stock option program; compensation is commensurate with experience. Specific salary figures were not provided.

About the Company

Company: Vertical Semiconductor

Headquarters: Somerville, MA, USA

Venture-backed MIT spin-out developing vertical gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors and system-level solutions for high-performance power conversion, targeting next-generation compute and AI applications.