Manager – Research & Development ( R&D )

Overview

The R&D Manager leads Benshaw’s multidisciplinary engineering team in developing the next generation of motor control products, from low voltage soft starters to medium voltage variable frequency drives. This role owns the technical roadmap, guides the development process, and leads the people responsible for delivering products from concept through production.

Location: Onsite- Benshaw, 615 Alpha Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15238

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership and Roadmap
• Own the multi-year technology roadmap for low voltage (LV) and medium voltage (MV) soft starters and drives, aligned with product management and sales.
• Guide architecture decisions involving power topologies (M2L, Cascaded H-Bridge), semiconductor selection, cooling, and control platforms.
• Evaluate and implement technologies such as SiC devices, embedded connectivity, and cybersecurity.

Team Management

• Lead, hire, and develop a multidisciplinary team of power electronics, controls, firmware, hardware, and mechanical engineers.
• Establish clear goals, conduct performance reviews, and build a pipeline of technical talent, including co-ops and interns.
• Balance resources across new product development, sustaining engineering, and custom-engineered orders.

Product Development Execution

• Participate in a stage-gate development process from concept through validation, pilot build, and production release.
• Manage project schedules, budgets, and risks, and communicate status to engineering and executive leadership.
• Oversee design reviews, DFMEA, design for manufacturability, and design verification testing, including full-power testing.
• Maintain engineering documentation, software configuration control, and the engineering change order (ECO) process.
• Compliance and Quality
• Ensure products meet applicable standards, including UL 347, UL 347A, UL 61800-5-1, the IEC 61800 series, CSA, and NEC requirements.
• Coordinate certification testing with UL, CSA, and other agencies, and support IEC-rated product development.
• Partner with Benshaw’s quality and customer service teams to resolve field failures through root cause analysis and corrective action.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Resources
• Work with manufacturing, supply chain, applications engineering, field service, and sales to launch products and support key customers.
• Manage component obsolescence and supplier qualification for critical parts, including IGBTs, SCRs, and printed circuit board components.
• Protect intellectual property by identifying inventions and supporting patent filings.
• Manage R&D laboratory equipment and test facilities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field.
• At least 10 years of experience developing power electronics or motor control products, including at least 5 years leading engineers or engineering projects.
• Hands-on design experience with variable frequency drives, soft starters, or similar power conversion equipment.
• Strong understanding of power semiconductor devices (IGBTs, SCRs), gate drive design, magnetics, thermal management, and protection.
• Working knowledge of motor control methods, including V/Hz, vector control, and motor protection functions.
• Experience taking products through UL, CSA, and IEC certification.
• Demonstrated success delivering products to production on schedule using a structured development process.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with engineers, executives, and customers.

Preferred Qualifications

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering with a focus on power electronics or electric machines.

Direct experience with medium voltage (2.3 kV to 13.8 kV) drives, multilevel topologies, and/or MV solid-state starters.

Embedded firmware and DSP or FPGA control experience.

Knowledge of industrial communications, including Modbus, EtherNet/IP, and PROFINET.

Knowledge of simulation tools such as PSIM, MATLAB/Simulink, or SPICE.

Experience in heavy industrial markets such as mining, oil and gas, water, or pumping.

Working Conditions and Travel

Work in office, engineering laboratory, and manufacturing floor environments, including high-power test areas.

Must be comfortable working with low and medium voltage and high-power systems using appropriate safety protocols.

Approximately 10–15% travel to customer sites, suppliers, certification laboratories, and Benshaw facilities in Canada, Germany, and New Zealand.

Since our founding in 1983, Benshaw has grown to become a recognized leader in the design, development and manufacture of mission critical motor controls and drives. That’s why, when the application is critical, and the environment harsh, customers specify Benshaw more than any other brand.