Senior Engineer, Electrified Propulsion Aircraft Drives

Company Overview

Ampaire is revolutionizing air travel with hybrid-electric propulsion, pioneering the fastest, most practical path to sustainable aviation. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in sunny California at the Long Beach Airport, Ampaire has led the industry in real-world hybrid-electric flight innovation, achieving historic milestones since the first flight of its Electric EEL testbed in 2019. Our adaptable technology seamlessly repowers existing aircraft, slashing fuel consumption by 50-70% and enabling airlines to reduce costs and emissions without waiting around for new infrastructure or fuels. When futuristic airplanes arrive, we expect them to use our power systems too, and are already working on that behind the scenes. 

With flights spanning 30,000 miles across Hawaii, Scotland, Canada, Alaska, and beyond, Ampaire has proven hybrid-electric aircraft are ready now—not decades from today. In 2022, we introduced the world’s largest hybrid-electric aircraft, the Eco Caravan, which is now advancing through certification and commercialization. Backed by industry-leading partners, a $5B+ sales pipeline, and a bold vision for aviation’s future, Ampaire offers a career where your work will reshape an industry and leave a lasting impact on the world. 

This is an inflection point for Ampaire and a once-in-a-century moment for the industry. Are you ready to help redefine flight? Join us.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Lead continued development and certification of electrified propulsion aircraft motor-controller drive units
  • Manage power electronics and controller hardware suppliers
  • Refine strategy, manage, and execute development and certification of FAA DAL-compliant DO-178C software including in-house and support contractors
  • Lead powertrain integration and experimental testing of drive units on dyno, iron birds, and flight aircraft
  • Plan, manage, and execute in-house and contracted drive certification tests
  • Support FAA-certification documentation
• Lead troubleshooting of complex EMI challenges and ensure robust system performance
• Lead the development and integration of other motor controllers, inverters, rectifiers, and DC/DC converters for hybrid and electric aircraft applications from lab to flight test and commercialization
• Manage Ampaire's R&D power electronics programs with partner universities
• Prepare detailed documentation for system design, testing, and certification
• Manage suppliers for powertrain components to ensure on performance, schedule and budget requirements are met
• Position based at Long Beach HQ facility
• Reports to Powertrain Lead

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant engineering discipline
• 5+ years of increasing responsibilities in aerospace, or equivalent, motor drive projects for 400V+, 100kW+ PWM-driven multi-phase inverters
• Expert knowledge of DO-178 software development process
• Proficient with MathWorks Simulink code-generation tools

Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in relevant engineering discipline
• 10+ years of relevant experience
• Executed DO-178 software development projects through certification
• Experience with DO-254 development projects
• Proficient with hybrid electric powertrain engineering
• Proficient with NXP microprocessors and NXP-based microcontrollers