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Electric Propulsion and Power Systems Engineers

Penn State University

State College, PAFull-time$122–231K/yrPosted 1mo agoStill listed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$122–231K/yr
Location
State College, PA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Security clearance, requiredBachelor's degree, required

Job overview

Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory seeks Electric Propulsion and Power Systems Engineers for its Electrical Power and Control Systems Department. The engineers lead multidisciplinary teams developing electric and hybrid-electric propulsion and power systems for undersea vehicles, including design, integration, and testing of motors, controllers, and vehicle power systems. Work supports U.S. military and related applications and is fully on-site in State College, Pennsylvania, with periodic travel to remote locations.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Motor Control Algorithms, requiredMotor Systems Design, requiredPower Conversion Design, requiredTest Program Execution, requiredLaboratory Test Equipment, requiredHigh-Voltage Power Systems, requiredCircuit Card Design, requiredAnalog Circuit Design, requiredDigital Circuit Design, requiredMultiphysics Modeling, requiredTeam Leadership, requiredElectronics, requiredHardware Integration, requiredAltium Design Suite, nice to haveSiemens NX, nice to haveSolidworks, nice to haveEmbedded C/C++, nice to haveVHDL/Verilog, nice to haveData Acquisition, nice to haveLabVIEW, nice to haveMATLAB, nice to haveSimulink, nice to haveStateflow, nice to haveRT-LAB, nice to haveCOMSOL, nice to haveAnsys, nice to haveHigh-Voltage Safety, nice to haveHardware-in-the-Loop Testing, nice to haveBattery Systems, nice to haveBattery Management Systems, nice to have

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Engineering or Science, required14+ Years Relevant Experience, required5+ Years Relevant Experience, requiredSecret Clearance Eligibility, nice to haveU.S. Citizenship, requiredGovernment Clearance Eligibility, required

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off
Tuition Assistance

Full job description

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

  • CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

  • CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

  • If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

​

POSITION SPECIFICS​ Your working location will be fully on-site, located in State College, PA. This role requires periodic travel to remote locations

We are searching for experienced and dedicated Electric Propulsion and Power Systems (EPPS) Engineers to join the Electrical Power and Control Systems (EPCS) Department within the Undersea Systems Office (USO) at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. You will lead multidisciplinary engineering teams in project development of cutting edge electric and hybrid electric propulsion and power systems for undersea vehicles. Specifically, you will oversee the detail design, documentation, integration, and testing of high-power electric propulsion motors and controllers for undersea propulsion applications along with overall vehicle power system design and control. This will include laboratory and field testing for U.S. military and related applications.

ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

You Will:

  • Provide project management leadership for one or more projects
  • Lead full project life cycle design and development to deliver advanced, efficient and reliable electric and hybrid electric propulsion systems and power sub-systems
  • Guide system requirements identification, flow-down, and functional allocation
  • Manage detailed design stages including early design and development processes (market surveys, analysis of alternatives, interface control documents, functional design documents, and test plans/reports) followed by design reviews, design acceptance and documentation packages
  • Ensure that detail designs satisfy the identified requirements and expectations during large scale system integration exercises and requirement verification stages
  • Manage testing of EPPS designs including advanced hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test methods to support integration with larger systems of systems
  • Support laboratory and field testing of prototype EPPS systems to demonstrate final design

Additional Responsibilities for Senior Professional and Higher-level Positions Include:

  • Serve as a technical leader on multiple projects
  • Manage multiple and/or large projects
  • Create opportunities to enhance technical methodology
  • Mentor and train assigned employees in the development of technical, project and business development skills

Required Skills/Experience areas include:

  • Development and implementation of motor control algorithms/techniques such as Field Oriented Control, Direct Torque Control, and other relevant open- and closed-loop control methods

  • Design experience of systems utilizing permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM), induction motors, and other motor topologies

  • Low level design experience in high and low voltage power conversion systems including, motor drives, DC-DC converters, rectifiers, and alternators

  • Past success executing prototype, hardware design verification, and qualification test programs

  • Operating laboratory test equipment including dynamometers, power supplies, loads, and oscilloscopes

  • Design of high voltage power systems

  • Rigid and flex circuit card design

  • Analog and digital circuit design

  • Modeling techniques in multiple physical domains

  • Past success managing and leading a team of engineers and technicians

  • Be hands-on, exhibit a solid understanding of electronics concepts

  • Possess a proven ability to build, troubleshoot, and integrate hardware into larger, more complex systems

Preferred Skills/Experience areas include:

  • Electrical CAD tools including Altium Design Suite
  • Mechanical CAD tools including Siemens NX and/or Solidworks
  • Embedded C/C++ and VHDL/Verilog firmware languages
  • Data acquisition hardware and software including LabVIEW and MATLAB
  • MATLAB, Simulink, Stateflow, and RT-LAB for simulation and control
  • Multiphysics simulation software including COMSOL, Ansys, or other tools
  • Prior high voltage training and working experience
  • Prior hardware-in-the-loop HIL experience
  • Safely interfacing to various battery chemistries and BMS systems
  • Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility, if required

MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS If filled as R&D Engineer - Electrical (ARL) - Senior Professional, this position requires: Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science 14+ years of relevant experience Required Certifications: None If filled as R&D Engineer - Electrical (ARL) - Advanced Professional, this position requires: Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science 5+ years of relevant experience Required Certifications: None

ARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at www.arl.psu.edu.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL): Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. SALARY & BENEFITS The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $121,704.00 - $231,000.00. Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

Federal Contractors Labor Law Poster PA State Labor Law Poster Penn State Policies Copyright Information Hotlines

How this job compares

Set against the 10,352 open Electrical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$122–231K/yr
  • Pennsylvania median$100–153K/yr206 salary ranges
  • US median$107–168K/yr6,769 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $176K, is 40% above the Pennsylvania median midpoint ($126K) — in the top quarter of Electrical Engineer salary ranges in Pennsylvania.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 388 open Electrical Engineer jobs in Pennsylvania and 10,352 across the US. 3% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Pennsylvania
Experience
This posting asks for at least 5 years of experience; Electrical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (8,623 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 6,634 of the 10,352 open Electrical Engineer jobs (64%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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