R&D Pulse Power Engineer; Senior - Principal Sperry Drilling

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Sperry Drilling delivers industry-leading Measurement-While-Drilling (MWD), Logging-While-Drilling (LWD), and Rotary Steerable System (RSS) technologies that help operators drill safer, faster, and more precisely. Through advanced downhole tools, real-time data acquisition, and reliability-driven engineering, Sperry enables customers to maximize well placement, efficiency, and reservoir understanding in every drilling environment.

Under general supervision, the Pulsed Power Engineer supports the development of next-generation high-energy pulsed systems for downhole applications within Sperry Drilling. The role is responsible for designing, building, testing, and optimizing high-voltage pulsed power architectures and associated laboratory environments.

This position owns the full design-to-test execution lifecycle for high-voltage pulsed systems, including component selection, pulse-forming architecture development, laboratory commissioning, and execution of safe, data-driven experiments that translate into rugged, field-deployable hardware.

At the Principal level, the role expands to include architectural authority, cross‑disciplinary technical leadership, and mentorship across complex development programs.

• Design pulsed power architectures from concept through laboratory validation, including energy storage, charging systems, switching networks, pulse forming, delivery, and measurement.
• Develop pulse forming stages (PFN, Blumlein, Marx topologies), pulse transformers, and transmission lines to meet target voltage, current, di/dt, dV/dt, repetition rate, and energy requirements.
• Select and qualify high-energy components including capacitors, pulse-rated resistors, HV diodes, high-speed switches (SiC/GaN, IGBT/MOSFET), triggered devices, connectors, cables, and insulation systems.
• Establish and operate high-voltage laboratory environments, including grounding, shielding, interlocks, enclosures, and safe operating procedures.
• Perform finite element simulations of electrostatic and transient electric field behavior to guide design decisions, ensuring accurate boundary conditions, material properties, numerical stability, and physical realism.
• Plan and execute structured experiments (DOE) to characterize pulse quality, delivered energy, coupling efficiency, electrode behavior, and thermal performance.
• Develop diagnostics and data acquisition systems using high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, HV probes, Rogowski coils, D-dot/B-dot sensors, and automated data pipelines (MATLAB/Python).
• Drive EMI/EMC robustness through proper layout, creepage/clearance control, shielding, filtering, grounding, and insulation coordination.
• Translate laboratory designs into field-ready systems capable of withstanding vibration, shock, temperature, pressure, and fluid exposure.
• Support vendor collaboration, DFM activities, BOM development, FAT/SAT planning, reliability modeling, and manufacturing transition.
• Document thoroughly – schematics, calculations, FMEAs, safety analyses, test plans, and technical reviews.
• Champion safety in all HV activities, applying NFPA 70E, lockout/tagout (LOTO), interlock systems, and safe work practices.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Electronics Engineering (or closely related field).
• 5-10 years of experience designing and testing high-voltage pulsed power systems.
• Hands‑on experience with PFN, Blumlein, Marx, pulse transformers, and transmission line architectures.
• Demonstrated experience with high‑energy switching technologies (IGBT, MOSFET, SiC, GaN, triggered devices), including protection and dv/dt/di/dt control.
• Proven ability to build and operate high‑voltage laboratory environments safely.
• Experience with finite element modeling of electrostatic and…