High Voltage Engineer at Piper Maddox High Voltage Engineer at Piper Maddox in Seattle, Washington Posted in about 4 hours ago.

Type:

full-time High Voltage Engineer Seattle, WA | Onsite $110,000-$175,000 Base + Equity Build and Test First-of-a-Kind High Voltage Technology We're partnering with an innovative advanced technology company developing next-generation hardware for the future of fusion energy. They are seeking a hands-on High Voltage Engineer to join a growing R D team and play a critical role in the development, testing, and advancement of high-voltage systems. This is a highly experimental, lab-focused position for someone who enjoys getting close to the hardware. You'll design and build test systems, operate a high-voltage test environment, investigate electrical breakdown and discharge phenomena, troubleshoot challenging problems, and use simulation to guide the next iteration. This is not a traditional utility, power systems, or commissioning role . The work is centered around experimental high-voltage hardware and understanding how electrical systems behave at their limits. What You'll Do Own high-voltage projects from concept through design, build, testing, iteration, and documentation. Help operate and expand a dedicated high-voltage test environment supporting advanced hardware development. Design and assemble DC and/or pulsed high-voltage test circuits and experimental setups. Develop measurement and instrumentation approaches for studying electrical breakdown and system performance. Conduct experiments involving insulation and electrical behavior across solids, liquids, gases, and vacuum environments. Run long-duration tests while maintaining disciplined experimental records, data quality, and repeatability. Investigate and troubleshoot flashover, arcing, electrical breakdown, conditioning behavior, contamination effects, partial discharge, and unexpected test results. Use FEM and simulation tools to evaluate electric fields, insulation geometries, and high-voltage system designs. Use CAD tools to support hardware and packaging decisions. Develop small Python tools and scripts to support experiments, data collection, and test workflows. Improve test procedures, documentation, checklists, labeling, and laboratory standards. Work closely with scientists, engineers, vendors, and collaborators to solve complex technical challenges. What We're Looking For We're looking for an engineer or researcher with strong fundamentals in high-voltage engineering and electrical breakdown , combined with a hands-on experimental mindset. You may come from industry, a university research lab, a national laboratory, or another experimental R D environment. Qualifications B.S. or higher in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related technical discipline. Strong hands-on engineering or research experience with experimental hardware. An understanding of electrical breakdown and discharge phenomena. Familiarity with high-voltage testing circuits, laboratory practices, and experimental measurement techniques. Experience designing, building, testing, and troubleshooting hardware. Exposure to simulation or modeling tools such as COMSOL or other FEM software. Familiarity with CAD tools such as SolidWorks or equivalent. Experience using Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or similar tools to support experiments and data analysis. Ability to work independently, take ownership of projects, and move ideas from concept through testing and iteration. Strong documentation and communication skills. Particularly Relevant Experience Candidates with experience in any of the following areas are encouraged to apply: High-voltage testing Dielectric or electrical breakdown Partial discharge Flashover or arcing Pulsed power Plasma systems or plasma physics Vacuum electrical phenomena Insulation and dielectric materials High-voltage transient analysis Experimental electrical engineering or physics High-speed diagnostics or imaging Experimental hardware development Experience working with systems above 50 kV DC is a plus but is not required. Who Will Thrive in This Role? This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is technically curious and enjoys solving problems experimentally. You might be the type of person who sees unexpected behavior in a test and immediately wants to understand why it happened. You enjoy working with real hardware, developing experiments, troubleshooting failures, and using data and simulation to improve the next design. We're particularly interested in candidates from university research, national laboratories, pulsed-power programs, plasma and fusion research, or other advanced experimental environments. Strong practical research experience can be just as valuable as traditional industry experience. Why This Opportunity? You'll have the opportunity to work on technology that is still being developed-where there isn't always an established playbook or obvious answer. This role offers meaningful ownership from day one. You'll work across the full engineering cycle, from concept and simulation through hardware design, testing, troubleshooting, and iteration . Your work will directly support the development of first-of-a-kind high-voltage technology and advanced fusion hardware. If you're excited by high voltage, experimental hardware, electrical breakdown, and solving difficult technical problems , we'd love to hear from you.

Location:

Seattle, WA -

Onsite Compensation:

$110,000-$175,000 base salary + equity

Travel:

Occasional