Sr Staff System Engineer

Job Title

Sr Staff System Engineer

Role Summary

Senior systems engineering role in the Low-Voltage GaN Marketing & Systems Group to define next-generation power semiconductor IC product specifications, silicon architectures, and multi-year roadmap strategy for motor-drive and high-power-density applications.

This is a hybrid position (San Jose, CA; Phoenix, AZ; or Chandler, AZ) and requires current authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Experience Level

Senior — typically 5–7+ years of experience in power electronics, semiconductor systems, or motor drive design with demonstrated product definition and product launch experience.

Responsibilities

The role translates system-level motor-drive requirements into silicon and reference-design deliverables and supports customers and cross-functional teams.

• Define IC product specifications from system requirements (Rds-on, gate-drive strength, dead-time, protection features, packaging thermal constraints, integrated features).
• Develop chip architectures and drive multi-year technology roadmaps for GaN-based power stages and driver IP.
• Collaborate with IC design, R&D, and marketing to align silicon implementation with application needs, cost, area, and schedule targets.
• Design and validate high-power-density system prototypes and evaluation boards to demonstrate GaN switching performance.
• Perform trade-off analyses, worst-case simulations, and competitive benchmarking at the system level.
• Engage with tier-1 customers on architecture-level co-design and influence future system topologies.
• Architect and implement motor-control modulation and Field-Oriented Control (FOC) frameworks.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, domain knowledge, and constraints for the role.

• Deep practical experience with Field-Oriented Control (FOC) including Clark/Park transforms and Space Vector Modulation (SVM); rotor angle acquisition and calibration.
• Experience with model-based simulation tools such as MATLAB/Simulink/Simscape, Saber, PLECS, PSIM, or comparable co-simulation flows.
• Proven background selecting and designing motor driver systems using integrated gate drivers and discrete power stages (MOSFETs, IGBTs, or WBG devices such as GaN/SiC).
• Experience specifying and designing IC-level driver circuitry and peripheral blocks: slew-rate control, current sensing, short-circuit protection, level shifters, SPI/I2C, registers, e-fuse, amplifiers, and comparators.
• Experience managing thermal dissipation, efficiency optimization, EMC/EMI mitigation, and PCB layout for high-power switching (minimizing parasitic inductance, thermal vias, heatsinks).
• Experience designing systems to tolerate fault conditions (short/open circuit, over/under voltage, sudden power loss, over-temperature).
• Hands-on experience characterizing motors and optimizing motor control using lab equipment and motor test stands.
• Solid semiconductor knowledge comparing wide-bandgap (GaN/SiC) devices with silicon MOSFETs (gate charge, reverse recovery, parasitic inductances).
• Track record of defining and launching motor-control ICs or discrete power solutions to market.
• Strong cross-functional communication and ability to present architectural concepts to executive and customer engineering teams.
• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States; Renesas cannot sponsor work visas for this position.

Education Requirements

BS in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, or a related technical field required; MS or PhD preferred.

About the Company

Company: Renesas

Headquarters: Hitachinaka, Japan

Renesas is a global leader in embedded semiconductor solutions, providing high-quality products across automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT sectors. With over 22,000 employees in more than 30 countries, the company focuses on scalable solutions that enhance user experience and drive innovation while committed to sustainability and energy efficiency.