Electric Vehicle Power Electronics Engineer Job

Company Information:

PACCAR is a Fortune 500 company established in 1905. PACCAR Inc is recognized as a global leader in the commercial vehicle, financial, and customer service fields with internationally recognized brands such as Kenworth, Peterbilt, and DAF trucks.  PACCAR is a global technology leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of high-quality light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates.  PACCAR also designs and manufactures advanced diesel engines, provides financial services and information technology, and distributes truck parts related to its principal business.

Whether you want to design the transportation technology of tomorrow, support the staff functions of a dynamic, international leader, or build our excellent products and services — you can develop the career you desire with PACCAR. Get started!

Kenworth Truck Company:

Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth is an industry leader in providing fuel-saving technology solutions that help increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The company’s dedication to the green fleet includes aerodynamic trucks, compressed and liquefied natural gas trucks, and medium duty diesel-electric hybrids. Kenworth is the first truck manufacturer to receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Excellence award in recognition of its environmentally friendly products.

Kenworth is establishing a team dedicating to bringing electrified powertrains to production at PACCAR.  We are a part of a global PACCAR effort where your design work will be used worldwide and contribute to PACCAR’s success globally.  We’re looking to add engineers to the team that are both knowledgeable of electric powertrain design and motivated to contribute to a new generation of vehicles at Kenworth and PACCAR globally.

This position is within the Electrical Engineering department at Kenworth and involves defining next-generation powertrain electronics. Including investigative, development, and coordination activities.  This team is the lead power electronics for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and other alternative fueled vehicles.  We will interface with other teams at PACCAR developing other related systems as well as be the point team leading to integrate them into Kenworth truck models. 

Job Functions / Responsibilities:

• Define requirements, Evaluate and select power electronics appropriate for battery powered Kenworth trucks.
• Define integration requirements and lead the implementation into medium and heavy duty trucks.
• Lead benchmarking activities, technology evaluation, and participate in development of validation standards for responsible systems.
• Drive chosen BEV partners to meet program schedules and milestones.
• Integrate systems into Kenworth truck models including packaging, system compatibility, and High Voltage (HV) wiring.
• Help develop new Corporate Standards appropriate for HV vehicles.
• Keep abreast of emerging technologies, tools, and methods through interaction with universities, national labs and suppliers.
• Coordinate efforts with lead teams at other PACCAR divisions to ensure a successful global launch of BEV power electronics.  Includes interfacing with PACCAR Technical Center, Peterbilt, DAF and PACCAR purchasing. 
• Communicate results and progress to team and stakeholders on a regular basis and facilitate technology transfer between PACCAR divisions.

Qualifications desired:

• Strong interest in working on next generation electrified drivetrains and vehicles.
• Five years of experience in electric powertrain development/R&D.
• In-depth experience with electric powertrain controls and or HV system integration including HV wiring design.
• Background in system-level requirements development, component selection, integration, performance, and validation.
• Familiarity with electric powertrain simulation tools.
• Experience as a contributor to global, cross-functional technical project teams.
• Previously demonstrated resourcefulness, strong technical knowledge, analytical capability, and communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, be a self-starter and have demonstrated high levels of initiative and innovation.
• Travel up to 15% possible.

Education Required:

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Chemical Engineering or Engineering Physics.  Master’s degree in similar fields and Professional Engineering (PE) license preferred.