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MM
Modal Motors Inc
Electric Motor Electromagnetics Engineer
Career Insights for Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Engineer
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What they do
An Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Engineer designs and develops integrated circuits used in electronic devices and communications systems. Designs circuitry and builds circuitry frameworks for products and systems.
$156,594 / year median in Michigan
+4% projected growth
Job Description
THE CHALLENGE
Nearly every motor that moves a vehicle, drives a robot, or runs a production line still depends on rare-earth magnets from a supply chain the United States does not control. Modal exists to change that - and to win on performance while doing it. Our 3D flux-path claw-pole transverse flux machines, including class-leading non-rare-earth designs, are engineered to deliver higher torque density at lower cost than the imported rare-earth motors they can replace. This role owns the electromagnetics at the heart of that bet. Get it right, and American mobility, robotics, and industrial manufacturers leapfrog the global competition - on hardware they can actually source at home.ABOUT MODAL MOTORS
Modal Motors designs and manufactures the highest torque-density electric motors in their class - built in the United States on a USA-and-allied supply chain. Our patent-pending Transverse Flux Motor (TFM) architecture is third-party validated and engineered to beat imported rare-earth motors on both performance and cost, and the same architecture spans multiple magnet chemistries and excitation variants - from class-leading non-rare-earth designs to full rare-earth performance builds - matched to each customer's cost, performance, and supply-chain needs. We are a lean, senior team standing on 35+ years in advanced technology and automotive, $50M+ in prior OEM motor R&D, and 25+ issued patents. Everything - the design, the intellectual property, and the supply chain - stays onshore.THE ROLE
We are hiring an Electromagnetics Engineer to own the electromagnetic design of our differentiated 3D flux-path, claw-pole transverse flux machines. Because our flux paths are genuinely three-dimensional, this role lives in full 3D finite-element analysis and in the material and manufacturing choices - especially soft magnetic composites (SMC) - that turn a claw-pole TFM from a physics curiosity into a manufacturable product. The same transverse flux architecture spans multiple excitation variants - permanent-magnet, externally excited / wound-field (EESM), switched-reluctance (SRM), and induction - and you will design across them, driving electromagnetic performance from first concept to validated hardware, shoulder-to-shoulder with mechanical, automation, and controls engineering, with a direct line to the CTO and founders. This is one posting written to flex with the person we find. A strong senior individual contributor will own the electromagnetic design of specific machines. Someone who brings deep electric-motor design leadership - ideally including SMC machines - can come in at the Director of Electromagnetics level and build the function from the ground up. Either way, your work will not sit in a report; it will ship.WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Own the electromagnetic design of Modal's claw-pole transverse flux machines - from electromagnetic concept and sizing through detailed design, prototype, and validated performance.
- Build and run full 3D FEA (currently Ansys Maxwell 3D) to predict torque, back-EMF, losses, saturation, cogging torque, torque ripple, demagnetization, and power factor, and to drive design iteration.
- Master the transverse-flux trade-offs: model and mitigate 3D leakage flux, low power factor, cogging and torque ripple, and AC / eddy and proximity losses at frequency.
- Lead soft magnetic composite (SMC) decisions - grade selection, 3D flux-path geometry, compaction / net-shape constraints, and core-loss modeling - in partnership with mechanical engineering and suppliers.
- Engineer the magnetic circuit across the full materials spectrum: magnet selection spanning ferrite, SmFeN, FeN, SmCo, Alnico, and rare-earth (NdFeB) - with particular strength in high-performance non-rare-earth designs - plus reluctance and flux-focusing techniques that hit torque-density targets.
- Design across our TFM's excitation variants: permanent-magnet, externally excited / wound-field (EESM), switched-reluctance (SRM), and induction configurations of the same transverse flux architecture.
- Design windings and geometry (including ring / coil configurations typical of TFMs), and optimize the electromagnetic-thermal trade space with the thermal and mechanical teams.
- Run multi-physics coupling with thermal and structural analysis, and coordinate electromagnetic-to-mechanical tolerance and manufacturing trade-offs.
- Close the loop on hardware: define and support prototype build and dynamometer / back-EMF / loss-separation testing, and correlate models to measured results.
- Co-optimize with the drive: work with controls / power electronics on current waveforms, field weakening, and sensorless behavior so the machine and its inverter are designed together.
- Strengthen the IP and the record: contribute invention disclosures and patent support, and document designs to a standard the team can build on.
- (Director track) Build and lead the function: hire and mentor the electromagnetics team, own the electromagnetic roadmap, toolchain, and design-review governance, and represent the technology to executives, partners, and OEM customers.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- U.S. citizenship is required. This role involves technology controlled under U.S. export-control laws (ITAR / EAR) and is restricted to U.S. citizens.
- B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Electric Power / Machines, Applied Electromagnetics, or a closely related field (M.S. or Ph.D. preferred).
- Demonstrated experience designing electric machines (permanent-magnet, wound-field / EESM, switched-reluctance, induction, or transverse / axial flux) from concept to validated hardware.
- Strong command of 3D electromagnetic finite-element analysis - hands-on with Ansys Maxwell 3D and / or JMAG (see Tools & Environment).
- Deep understanding of machine fundamentals: magnetic circuits, saturation, core- and copper-loss mechanisms, back-EMF, torque production, cogging / ripple, demagnetization, and thermal limits.
- Ability to turn simulation into manufacturable designs and to correlate models against dynamometer and back-EMF test data.
- Clear technical communication, rigorous documentation, and comfort working on-site in a hands-on, prototype-driven startup in Novi, MI.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Transverse-flux and / or claw-pole (Lundell) topologies - direct experience with their 3D flux paths.
- Soft magnetic composites (SMC) - strongly preferred: grade selection, net-shape / compaction constraints, and SMC core-loss characterization.
- Breadth across magnet chemistries: hands-on design with more than one of ferrite, SmFeN, FeN, SmCo, Alnico, and rare-earth (NdFeB) - high-performance non-rare-earth design especially valued.
- Multiple excitation variants: experience with EESM (externally excited / wound-field), switched-reluctance (SRM), and induction as well as PM - ideally as variants of a common architecture - plus cost-down / DFM for high-volume manufacturing.
- JMAG in addition to Ansys Maxwell 3D; familiarity with Ansys Motor-CAD and Mechanical, and optimization tooling (optiSLang, Python / MATLAB scripting, DoE / surrogate optimization).
- Machine-drive co-design: experience pairing machines with power electronics and field-oriented / field-weakening control.
- For the Director level: prior leadership of an electric-machine design team and ownership of a program from concept to production - ideally including SMC machines.
TOOLS & ENVIRONMENT
Our electromagnetic analysis runs today on Ansys Maxwell 3D, and we are actively evaluating a move to JMAG. The person in this role will have real influence over that decision and over the broader electromagnetic toolchain. Fluency in either package is welcome - the ability to reason about why one fits our claw-pole TFM and SMC workflows better than the other is a plus. This is a hands-on, on-site role with direct access to prototypes, tooling, and test.WHY JOIN MODAL
- Genuinely novel, not incremental. You will design machine architectures most engineers only read about - not another variant of a century-old topology.
- Your designs ship. A small, senior team and a short path from 3D FEA to prototype to product mean the decisions you make show up in hardware in weeks, not years.
- National-scale impact. Non-rare-earth capability, a USA-and-allied supply chain, and onshore IP - motors that free American mobility, robotics, and manufacturing from a supply chain they cannot control.
- A ground-floor seat. Meaningful early-stage equity and a real path to building and leading the electromagnetics function.
- Direct access.
HOW THIS ROLE FLEXES - LEVELING
We wrote one posting for two possible hires, and will calibrate title, scope, and compensation to the experience you bring:- Electromagnetics Engineer (senior IC): owns the electromagnetic design of specific machines and works across the toolchain and the test loop.