Principal/Senior Electrical Engineer – Fuel Cell Systems 

Status: Exempt (Salaried)   

Department: Fuel Cell Platforms – Electrical Engineering   

Position Summary

Plug is building the global hydrogen ecosystem. We are the only company delivering a complete hydrogen platform, from production and liquefaction to storage, delivery, and power generation. They are integrated, end-to-end solutions designed to make hydrogen work at an industrial scale across regions, industries, and applications. 

Plug is seeking a Principal or Senior Electrical Engineer to serve as the electrical technical authority for our hydrogen fuel cell power systems. This role sits at the intersection of high-power electronics, embedded controls, system architecture, and structured product development — spanning the full design lifecycle from concept through production release. You will lead electrical design decisions, drive verification and validation programs, partner with Supply Chain and Operations on design-for-manufacture readiness, and mentor engineers across the team. This position reports to the Manager of Electrical Engineering – Fuel Cells Platforms. 

Core Duties and Responsibilities

Power Electronics & Converter Design 

• Architect, design, and validate DC/DC power converters (LLC, phase-shift full bridge, interleaved boost, buck-boost) for fuel cell stack and BOP interfaces; define electrical specifications covering voltage/current profiles, efficiency, ripple, and EMI/EMC across all operating conditions 

• Drive EMI/EMC mitigation from schematic through PCB layout and full system validation; design high-frequency magnetics for efficiency and manufacturability; own protection architecture, and SiC/GaN device selection 

• Oversee schematic capture and PCB layout review (Altium preferred), component selection, and DFM; lead hardware design reviews (PDR, CDR) and resolve design issues through structured root cause and corrective action 

Controls & Embedded Systems 

• Lead architecture, design, and validation of embedded control systems on DSP/MCU/FPGA platforms 

• Define hardware-software interface requirements 

System-Level Electrical Architecture & Compliance 

• Own the top-level electrical architecture for the fuel cell power system: power distribution, harness design, sensor integration, grounding strategy, and isolation/protection schemes 

• Define balance-of-plant (BOP) electrical requirements for pumps, fans, valves, heaters, and auxiliary loads; specify thermal subsystem electrical requirements; partner with Mechanical and Thermal teams on integrated packaging and thermal management 

• Lead compliance and certification activities for UL, CE, NFPA 2, SAE, and applicable ISO hydrogen and fuel cell standards; support regulatory approvals; Establish and own electrical FMEA and functional safety analyses 

Design Verification, Validation & Reliability 

• Define and own the electrical Design Verification Plan and Report (DVP&R) aligned to industrial duty cycles, customer use cases, and applicable standards; lead DV and PV test execution through structured gate reviews 

• Conduct environmental and safety qualification testing including shock, vibration, thermal cycling, freeze-thaw, and cold-start; lead accelerated stress and durability testing to identify failure modes and establish diagnostic parameters for predicting system lifespan 

• Drive structured root cause and corrective action processes (8D, DMAIC) to resolve verification failures and field reliability issues; maintain and update DFMEA throughout the product development lifecycle to ensure risks are mitigated before production release 

Stage-Gate Program Execution 

• Execute electrical development within Plug Power’s stage-gate product development process, owning milestones: Concept Freeze, Design Freeze, DV/PV completion, Pilot Build, and Production Release 

• Lead new product introductions (NPI) and major platform upgrades; ensure alignment of scope, schedule, technical readiness levels (TRL), and risk mitigation strategies; represent electrical engineering status and trade-off analysis in gate reviews and executive briefings 

Supply Chain, Operations & Technical Leadership 

• Partner with Supply Chain during component selection and sourcing to address preferred suppliers, lead time, cost targets, and second-source availability early in design; support supplier qualification and supplier technical reviews 

• Drive DFM and design-for-test (DFT) practices; collaborate with Operations and Manufacturing Engineering to resolve assembly, test, and yield issues at pilot build and production launch; support EOL test strategy development to ensure product is tested to specification at volume 

• Close the field reliability feedback loop: review warranty and field failure data with Operations and Field Service; translate findings into design improvements and updated test coverage 

• Serve as the electrical technical authority in cross-functional program reviews, customer-facing sessions, and executive briefings; mentor junior and mid-level electrical engineers and drive continuous improvement in design and verification processes 

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related field; Master’s degree preferred 

• 5+ years (Senior) or 10+ years (Principal) of experience in power electronics development in regulated or high-reliability industries (energy, industrial, automotive, or aerospace)  

• Demonstrated expertise in DC/DC power converter design and validation — topology selection, magnetics design, thermal analysis, and EMC 

• Hands-on embedded controls hardware experience; proficiency with DSP/MCU/FPGA platforms and digital control implementation 

• Strong system-level electrical architecture experience: power distribution, protection, grounding, harness, and sensor integration 

• Proficiency with PCB ECAD tools (Altium preferred) and circuit simulation tools (SPICE, MATLAB/Simulink, or equivalent) 

• Experience with electrical DVP&R development and execution; formal DFMEA methodology, DV/PV test methodologies and gate review processes 

• Experience with electrical compliance and certification processes (UL, CE, ISO, SAE, NFPA 2) and structured product development frameworks (Stage-Gate, DFSS, or equivalent) 

• Direct experience with PEM fuel cell systems, hydrogen energy systems, or electrochemical power systems; experience with wide bandgap (SiC/GaN) power device design and application is a big plus 

• Familiarity with functional safety standards (ISO 26262, IEC 61508) and formal DFMEA methodology; experience with model-based development (MBD) and HIL testing environments 

• Familiarity with NFPA 2 and hydrogen-specific electrical safety requirements 

• Background working directly with Supply Chain on component sourcing, supplier qualification, DFM activities, end-of-line test strategy development, for ensuring smooth production launch 

• Excellent communication skills — able to present complex electrical trade-offs to cross-functional, executive, and customer audiences; ability to travel up to 10%