Sr Staff Application Engineer – Low-Voltage GaN Discrete & GaN ICs

Renesas is one of the top global semiconductor companies in the world, delivering world‑leading MCUs, SoCs, analog and power products, and integrated Winning Combination solutions across automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT markets. With 21,000 employees across 30+ countries, we are committed to innovation, transparency, and building a smarter, greener future.

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Principal Application Engineer specializing in low-voltage GaN discrete devices, GaN power stages, and GaN driver ICs. This senior role emphasizes deep technical leadership in application development, reference designs, customer enablement, and system-level performance optimization for low-voltage GaN power systems.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Application Ownership

• Serve as the technical authority for low-voltage GaN discretes and GaN ICs.
• Establish best practices for GaN switching, PCB layout, EMI optimization, thermal management, and reliability.
• Provide system-level guidance across motor drives, robotics, high-current DC-DC converters, and battery-powered platforms.

Reference Design & Evaluation Board Development

• Architect and develop low-voltage GaN-based reference designs including motor drives, inverter stages, and DC-DC systems.
• Lead board bring-up, waveform tuning, thermal optimization, EMI validation, and performance benchmarking.

Product Validation

• Collaborate closely with product engineering teams to define and execute validation test plans for low-voltage GaN discretes, GaN power stages, and driver ICs.
• Validate device performance across switching behavior, safe operating limits, thermal characteristics, layout sensitivity, and reliability conditions.
• Identify corner cases, system-level interactions, and application-dependent behaviors to ensure robust performance in customer use-cases.
• Provide data-driven insights to improve device specifications, packaging, protection schemes, and future-generation design requirements.

Customer Engagement & Technical Advocacy

• Act as a trusted advisor to customers by reviewing schematics, layouts, and system architectures.
• Troubleshoot field issues and guide customers on optimizing GaN devices for high-frequency switching and high-power density operation.
• Deliver trainings, workshops, and technical presentations.

Mentorship & Team Development

• Mentor junior engineers and foster a culture of technical excellence in GaN-based power system design.

Technical Documentation & Thought Leadership

• Develop high-quality collateral including application notes, white papers, design guides, and GaN best-practice documentation.
• Represent Renesas in technical events, customer engagements, and industry forums.

Feedback Integration

• Collect and relay customer insights on performance, integration challenges, and new feature requirements to influence internal improvements.

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or related field preferred (Bachelor’s required)
• 12+ years of experience in power electronics with strong experience in low-voltage GaN, inverter stages, BLDC/PMSM motor drives, robotics power systems, or high-current DC-DC designs.
• Proven ability to lead complex application development and enable customer adoption of advanced power technologies.
• Hands-on expertise with:
  • Low-voltage GaN FETs and integrated GaN power stages
  • High-frequency switching and GaN gate-driving techniques
  • Motor drives or advanced DC-DC powertrain design
  • PCB layout optimized for GaN high-speed switching
• Strong fundamentals in power electronics, magnetics, protection circuits, and system optimization.
• Excellent communication and customer-facing skills.
• Nice to have: experience with motor control or DC-DC control firmware.
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Skills

• Proficient with schematic capture and PCB layout tools (Altium preferred).
• Experience using PLECS, LTSpice, Simplis, or Simetrix for system simulation.
• Knowledge of magnetic component design (inductors, transformers).

Renesas is one of the top global semiconductor companies in the world. We strive to develop a safer, healthier, greener, and smarter world, and our goal is to make every endpoint intelligent by offering product solutions in the automotive, industrial, infrastructure and IoT markets. Our robust product portfolio includes world leading MCUs, SoCs, Analog and power products, plus Winning Combination solutions that curate these complementary products. We are a key supplier to the world’s leading manufacturers of electronics you rely on every day; you may not see our products, but they are all around you.

Renesas employs roughly 21,000 people in more than 30 countries worldwide. As a global team, our employees actively embody the Renesas Culture, our guiding principles based on five key elements: Transparent, Agile, Global, Innovative, and Entrepreneurial. Renesas believes in, and has a commitment to, diversity and inclusion, with initiatives and a leadership team dedicated to its resources and values. At Renesas, we want to build a sustainable future where technology helps make our lives easier. Join us and build your future by being part of what’s next in electronics and the world.

Renesas is an embedded semiconductor solution provider driven by its Purpose, To Make Our Lives Easier. With a global team of over 21,000 engineers and problem solvers in more than 30 countries, we offer the opportunity to work on world‑leading technology for Automotive, Industrial, Infrastructure, and IoT, shaping a safer, healthier, greener, and smarter future.

At Renesas, TAGIE is our culture, grounded in being Transparent, Agile, Global, Innovative, and Entrepreneurial. It shapes how we work, grow and deliver on our purpose together. This collaborative spirit and mindset drive our semiconductor technology to transform industries and impact millions of lives.

We believe in rewarding our employees with a competitive benefits package alongside their salary. More information will be provided during the hiring process.

Are you ready to join our team and shape the future with us?

Renesas Electronics is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, committed to supporting diversity and fostering a work environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military status, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For more information, please read our Diversity & Inclusion Statement.