Senior Applications Engineer – Power Management (DC/DC Buck Converters)
Position Summary
We are seeking an experienced Senior Applications Engineer with deep, hands-on expertise in DC/DC buck converters and power management ICs. This role requires strong system-level design, validation, and device debug skills. The Senior Applications Engineer will act as a technical leader, supporting complex customer designs, driving root-cause analysis, and collaborating closely with R&D, validation, and marketing teams to ensure robust product adoption and successful customer deployments.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as a technical expert for DC/DC buck converter products, supporting customers from initial architecture through production release
- Lead hands-on lab activities including schematic development, PCB bring-up, validation, and device debug of power management ICs
- Design, build, and debug evaluation modules (EVMs) and customer reference designs
- Perform detailed system-level validation including efficiency, transient response, stability, thermal, protection features, and reliability testing
- Drive root-cause analysis of device, system, and layout-related issues using bench measurements and failure analysis techniques
- Review and approve customer schematics and PCB layouts, providing expert guidance on power integrity, grounding, EMI/EMC, and thermal performance
- Partner closely with IC design, validation, and test teams to debug silicon issues and influence product improvements
- Support customer development schedules by providing timely, technically sound recommendations and solutions
- Develop and own high-quality technical collateral, including:
- EVM User’s Guides
- Application Notes and Design Notes
- White Papers and Reference Designs
- Mentor junior applications engineers and contribute to best practices for lab methodology and documentation
- Represent the applications team in technical reviews, customer meetings, and internal design discussions
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, ECE, or related field
- 6+ years of experience in power electronics or semiconductor applications engineering
- Strong hands-on experience with DC/DC buck converter design and analysis
- Proven expertise in schematic capture and PCB design using industry-standard tools (e.g., Altium, Cadence, OrCAD, or equivalent)
- Extensive lab experience with power measurement, debugging, and validation using oscilloscopes, electronic loads, network analyzers, and power analyzers
- Demonstrated ability to debug complex hardware issues at the device and system level
- Strong technical writing skills with experience producing customer-facing technical documentation
- In-depth understanding of customer product development cycles and manufacturing requirements
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field
- Experience with silicon validation and post-silicon debug of power management ICs
- Strong background in control loop stability, compensation design, and small-signal analysis
- Experience with EMI/EMC mitigation and compliance strategies
- Prior customer-facing or Field Applications Engineering (FAE) experience
- Experience mentoring or leading technical teams
Key Competencies
- Deep lab-centric problem solving and analytical skills
- Ability to independently drive complex debug and validation efforts
- Strong communication skills bridging customers, applications, and IC design teams
- Technical leadership and ownership mindset
