Research and Development Engineer

Number of employees

230

Milwaukee, United States

Posted on: 2022-04-11

Category: energy

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Expired

Employment type:

Full time

Experience required:

Intermediate

Salary

Salary not provided

About the company:

At SPAN, we believe that powering homes with clean energy should be a simple and delightful experience that is technology-forward and human-centered. 

SPAN is advancing clean energy adoption with innovative hardware that replaces the electrical panel and becomes the home's center for connected power. It’s easier and faster to install, and it completely transforms the customer experience with intuitive energy controls and customizable backup power.

Our Mission  

SPAN develops products that accelerate the rapid adoption of renewable energy in the home. The flagship SPAN Smart Panel is the first true evolution for the traditional home electric panel, harnessing enhanced technology for metering, monitoring, and control. An expanded product suite of intelligent, integrated solutions radically lowers the cost and complexity of energy upgrades–including solar, batteries and EVs–empowering homeowners to be active, resilient and informed players in the energy market. 

The Role 

The SPAN engineering team is made of passionate people with expertise in electronics, mechanical design, energy systems, and embedded software. We are seeking a driven electrical engineer to develop technologies and critical electronic and electrical components of the SPAN panel through all stages of research & development. As a research & development engineer, you will be responsible for the building and evaluation of prototypes and development of technologies to be integrated with energy management hardware for the SPAN panel that will ship to market.  This position is based in our Milwaukee location.

In this role, you will:

  • Choose technologies and rapidly/efficiently validate bench-level prototypes.

  • Develop tests and execute test plans, construct test fixtures, and evaluate device performance and recommend improvements.

  • Own day-to-day operation of lab tests and lab operation.

  • Collaborate with internal and external teams on the specification of mechanical interfaces, thermal interfaces, and overall product function.

  • Design or specify magnetic components and wire harness assemblies.

  • Develop and validate highly robust repeatable power and analog circuit topologies.

  • Develop, simulate, and perform tests related to functional performance, regulatory compliance, and reliability, with limited resources.

  • Interpret UL and IEC standards to extract construction and test requirements, and produce designs that meet these requirements without excessive iteration.

  • Produce completed design packages for PCBAs including well-curated BOM, clear schematic capture, annotation, and mechanical assembly/drill/conformal coat drawings.

  • Document design requirements and work with external contractors for layout and other support activities when necessary.

About You

Required Qualifications

We are seeking a seasoned electrical engineer who has:

  • BS or MS in Electrical Engineering or Electrical/Computer Engineering.

  • Hands-on approach whether it be building a prototype or performing testing.

  • Experience owning designs, specifying system interfaces, and architecture with diverse teams under tight timelines.

  • Proficiency in analog and mixed signal circuit design.

  • Familiarity with power electronics.

  • Familiarity with high voltage design (which in our context means up to 600V).

  • Strong grasp on fundamentals covering circuit analysis, electromagnetics, as well as basic feedback and control theory.

  • Experience validating design concepts with simple bench tests.

  • Ability to think creatively and synthesize novel, cost-effective circuits to solve unique design problems.

  • Altium Designer (or similar schematic capture / PCB layout software) experience.

Bonus Qualifications

We would love to hire someone who has:

  • Demonstrated success working in a cross disciplinary, multi-cultural environment.

  • Designed switch mode power supplies involving high (>60V) voltage, high current, high power, or high efficiency

  • Designed magnetic devices such as transformers or inductors.

  • Designed electromechanical devices such as solenoid actuators or relays.

  • Knowledge of national and international safety and regulatory requirements such as UL, National Electric Code(NEC), FCC, IEC, and ISO.

  • Design experience with products that connect to the electrical grid.

  • Designed high voltage isolated power and data interfaces.

  • Experience with development of performance validation, environmental, and reliability tests.

  • Knowledge of design for test requirements in support of both flying probe or ICT, and functional tests.

  • Analyzed field failures, and responded with design or manufacturing process changes.

  • Supported both prototype and high volume production.

  • 5 years experience developing products from initial concepts.

Why Span?

SPAN offers a unique opportunity at a startup based in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco. We are a small, diverse team of creative thinkers. We value open communication, teamwork, and a make-it-happen attitude - no job is too big or too small. We strive to make change by imagining what the future could be and building a product to complete that vision. We are looking to grow our team with talented people who are on the same mission to shape the future of energy.

 

Working at SPAN, you can expect:

  • Competitive compensation and early equity at a well-funded, fast-growing, venture-backed company (read more on why Amazon and others invested in SPAN here and here)

  • Flexible hours and vacation time - we simultaneously work hard and make space for the important stuff

  • Additional SPAN holidays in celebration of causes we believe in (i.e. Black History Day, International Women’s Day, Earth Day and Gay Pride & Juneteenth among others)

  • Comprehensive benefits including a choice of medical plans; dental, vision, life and disability insurance

  • Diversity - we are serious about this. Span embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

 

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