Kinetic

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