Principal Applications Engineer
Milpitis, CA US
Job Description
- Act as the technical subject matter expert for DC-DC converter and power module products.
- Provide post-sales technical guidance and design-in support to customer engineering teams.
- Conduct complex qualification and verification testing in local labs and at customer sites (approximately 50–75% onsite depending on project phase).
- Support field engineers by resolving advanced technical questions and system-level issues.
- Verify products against customer specifications and application requirements.
- Collaborate closely with internal design engineering, validation, manufacturing, and business development teams to resolve issues and deliver results on schedule.
- Translate customer technical needs into product recommendations, specifications, and development feedback.
- Identify potential design or integration risks early and communicate clearly with both customers and internal teams.
- Coordinate product integration efforts between component suppliers, internal teams, and customers.
- Develop and deliver technical presentations and seminars for customers and field engineering teams.
- Define initial project scope, prepare project plans, and maintain technical documentation.
- May sit onsite with customers locally for extended periods during critical project phases.
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (Master’s preferred).
- 8+ years of experience in design engineering, applications engineering, or verification engineering within power electronics.
- Strong hands-on experience with DC-DC converter design, validation, or application support.
- Deep understanding of power conversion topologies, power integrity, thermal considerations, and system-level performance tradeoffs.
- Extensive comfort working in lab environments performing qualification and validation testing.
- Proven ability to support mid-to-large customers in complex technical environments.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical topics clearly to customers and internal teams.
- Background in power modules used for data centers, networking, computing, or industrial systems.
- Experience supporting field application engineering teams.
- Mandarin language skills are a plus.
- Hybrid role based in the San Jose area.
- Work from home option when not performing lab or customer-site work.
- Significant hands-on lab exposure using advanced power electronics platforms.
- Close collaboration with global engineering and manufacturing teams.
Meet Your Recruiter
Max Francis
Technical Recruiter
Max Francis is a seasoned Engineering Recruiter specializing in the Automation Division at Sterling. With five years of invaluable experience in recruitment, Max is on a mission to help individuals find their perfect career move—one that aligns with their professional goals and supports their families.
As an Engineering Recruiter, Max excels in the Automation Division, leveraging his deep industry knowledge to connect candidates with opportunities tailor-made for their unique skill sets and aspirations. He understands that finding the right career move is a pivotal moment in people's lives, and he thrives on being a part of that journey.
What Max finds most exciting and rewarding about his work is the opportunity to guide individuals to their ideal career fit. He recognizes that this transition is an exhilarating time for most people, and he derives immense satisfaction from helping them navigate the path toward their next professional adventure.
Max's advice to job seekers is grounded in the value of connections. He believes that having a well-connected recruiter within the industry you aspire to be in can open doors to companies and positions that may not be readily available on job boards. In today's competitive job market, he encourages candidates to connect with a recruiter early in their job search journey. While he advocates for candidates to continue their independent job searches, he emphasizes the benefit of having an additional set of experienced eyes on the market.