Chief Engineer, Electrical

Karman Industries
Gardena, CA
Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Gardena, California, Karman Industries is at the forefront of revolutionizing industrial thermal energy. Our mission is to electrify global thermal systems across data centers, manufacturing, and energy industries. Karman is developing the revolutionary Heat Processing Unit (HPU) to reinvent thermal handling for giga-scale data centers & AI factories. The HPU is built around a supercritical CO2 chiller system utilizing a high-speed electrically driven turbomachinery core. Our system aims to reduce energy consumption in data center thermal management by greater than 25% and increase energy density by 10x.
At Karman Industries, we are committed to fostering a dynamic and inclusive work environment where innovation thrives. Our team is composed of passionate professionals dedicated to making a tangible impact on the future of industrial manufacturing. Join us in our mission to transform the industry and contribute to a more sustainable world.
Chief Engineer, Electrical
Karman Industries is seeking a Chief Electrical Engineer to serve as the company's senior technical authority for power electronics and electrical systems across our engineering organization, with direct application to the high-speed electrically driven turbomachinery core at the heart of our Heat Processing Unit (HPU). This is not a facilities or building-electrical role — we need someone who can own the electrical architecture of a high-speed motor-drive system from first principles: power conversion, high- and low-voltage distribution, and the electrical safety case for a novel electromechanical product — and who sets the technical standards the rest of the electrical engineering team designs against.
Responsibilities
- Own the technical architecture and design standards for power electronics (converters, inverters, motor drives) driving Karman's high-speed turbomachinery core
- Define and govern high-voltage and low-voltage distribution, protection, switchgear, and grounding/bonding practice across programs
- Lead electromagnetic and thermal analysis of power electronics and electrical machines, including FEA-based design verification
- Chair electrical design reviews and hold final technical sign-off on electrical system risk decisions
- Own Karman's electrical safety and EMI/EMC compliance strategy
- Partner with Thermal, Mechanical, and Dynamics & Controls leadership on integrated system trade-offs (e.g., motor-drive cooling, control interfaces)
- Mentor senior and principal electrical engineers and build the discipline's technical bench strength
- Lead root-cause investigation and corrective action for electrical system failures or field issues
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering
- 15+ years of experience in power electronics, high-voltage systems, or electrical machine design, including technical leadership of complex electromechanical programs
- Demonstrated depth in AC/DC power conversion and high/low-voltage system design from first principles
- Proven track record owning electrical technical decisions with program-wide or company-wide impact
- Strong communication skills and the ability to set technical direction across a growing engineering organization
Preferred Qualifications
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering
- Experience with electromagnetic FEA and power system simulation tools (e.g., Ansys Maxwell, JMAG, Motor-CAD, PSCAD)
- Background in high-speed electric machines, motor drives, or grid-scale power electronics
- Familiarity with electrical safety and compliance standards (NEC, IEC, UL) relevant to novel industrial hardware

Employment type
FullTime

Work arrangement
No