About the role
Company Description
Vertical Semiconductor, a venture-backed MIT spin-out, is leading the development of vertical gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors to build the foundational power layer for the next generation of compute and AI.
Role Overview
We’re hiring a (Senior) Applications Engineer to help customers design in next-generation vertical GaN power devices (100 V – 2300 V) and turn device performance into system-level wins. This is a hands-on role: you’ll build and test power converter hardware, run simulations, characterize fast-switching wide bandgap devices on the bench and support customers directly.
You’ll work closely with our Principal Applications Engineer and Device Engineering team, with growing ownership of customer engagements, evaluation hardware and technical content as you ramp up.
Key Responsibilities
Customer design-in support
- Support customer design-in activity: simulations, bench testing, troubleshooting and performance optimization.
- Translate customer specifications into device and circuit requirements, working alongside senior applications staff on strategic accounts.
- Take technical ownership of selected customer engagements; present results and recommendations to customers.
Simulation and modeling
- Build and run SPICE and/or PLECS simulations of vertical GaN in realistic converter environments (switching behavior, parasitics, loss/thermal estimation, gate-drive tradeoffs).
- Correlate simulation with bench measurements and help maintain the team’s library of reusable models and topology templates.
Evaluation hardware and reference designs
- Contribute to evaluation boards, demo boards and reference designs: schematic/layout, BOM, bring-up, test plans and characterization reports.
- Perform system-level bench testing and debug, and propose design optimizations based on measured performance.
High-voltage WBG bench characterization
- Perform hands-on, system-level characterization of fast-switching WBG devices (as distinct from die- or wafer-level characterization), including switching waveforms, thermal performance, parasitic-sensitive measurements and robustness testing.
- Help develop practical design rules for customers: gate drive, layout/loop inductance, protection and measurement techniques.
Technical content
- Write and contribute to application notes, design guides, test reports and training material.
Product feedback
- Document customer requirements, test results and failure-mode learnings, and share them with Device Engineering and Product teams.
Required Qualifications
Education and experience — one of the following
- Ph.D. in EE (Power Electronics) or a closely related field; recent graduates are welcome.
- M.S. in EE with substantial, specific hands-on power converter work from a thesis, lab or industry project.
Preferred: 2–5 years of additional industry experience in applications engineering, power converter design or power semiconductor characterization.
Technical skills
- Solid understanding of power converter design: switching loss mechanisms, thermal characteristics, magnetics, layout/parasitics and gate drive.
- Hands-on bench experience building and testing power electronics hardware; lab experience with high-voltage or high-current wide bandgap (SiC or GaN) devices is a strong plus.
- Working proficiency with SPICE and/or PLECS for simulating power circuits.
- Working proficiency with EDA tools for PCB design and fabrication, such as Altium Designer, Eagle or OrCAD.
- Familiarity with parasitic-aware layout and EMI considerations for fast-switching power stages.
- Clear written and verbal technical communication, and comfort working directly with customers.
Location & Travel
- Location: On-site in Somerville, MA.
- Travel: Occasional (< 20%) travel to customer sites and industry events.
Values & Culture Fit
Vertical Semiconductor is seeking an engineer who wants to grow quickly and is willing to get involved in the day-to-day execution of a startup. The ideal candidate enjoys tackling complex engineering challenges, is happiest at the bench and in the simulator, learns fast and thrives in a collaborative environment where they can make an immediate impact. We value integrity, initiative, problem-solving, creativity and a passion for creating transformative technology that can change industries and improve the world.