Science & ResearchISCO 2152
Power electronics engineer
Power electronics engineers design and test circuits for use in power electronics systems. They find solutions for known flaws in mechanical designs and collaborate with other engineers to perform cross-functional tasks when testing designs.
Check yourself in a minute: power electronics engineer
Rate 5 of the 38 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
conduct literature research
model power electronics
design power electronics
record test data
test power electronics
About power electronics engineer
As a power electronics engineer, you will design, develop, and test sophisticated electronic circuits and systems that control and convert electrical power efficiently. Your work bridges electrical engineering and practical applications, creating solutions for renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, industrial machinery, and consumer electronics. You'll spend significant time developing circuit designs, creating detailed technical drawings, and conducting rigorous testing procedures to ensure safety, reliability, and performance. Your role involves solving complex technical problems, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and staying current with rapidly evolving technology.
Your daily responsibilities include analyzing circuit diagrams, conducting literature research to understand emerging technologies, modeling power electronics systems using specialized software, and performing electronic test procedures to validate designs. You'll need to balance innovation with stringent compliance requirements—understanding environmental legislation, health and safety regulations, and industry standards. Whether you work for a manufacturer, research institution, or design firm, your contributions directly impact product efficiency, sustainability, and market competitiveness.
The power electronics field in Poland is thriving due to investments in renewable energy infrastructure, electric vehicle adoption, and industrial modernization. Career prospects are excellent, with opportunities to advance into senior engineering roles, project management, or research positions. The field offers competitive salaries and the satisfaction of working on technologies that shape a sustainable future.
Key Work Functions
Core areas of responsibility for a power electronics engineer.
1
Circuit Design and Development
- Design power electronics circuits applying physics and engineering principles
- Create detailed design drawings and technical documentation for manufacturing
- Integrate battery management systems and power conversion components
- Develop integrated circuits and select appropriate components for specific applications
2
Testing and Validation
- Develop and conduct electronic test procedures to validate circuit performance
- Perform testing on battery design and battery management systems
- Identify design flaws and collaborate with teams to develop corrective solutions
- Ensure compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations throughout testing
3
Modeling and Analysis
- Model power electronics systems using simulation software and analytical techniques
- Interpret circuit diagrams and analyze electrical behavior of complex systems
- Conduct literature research on emerging technologies and industry best practices
- Perform mechanical engineering analysis to ensure physical integration and reliability
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (38)
battery designbattery designThe techniques used to design batteries, characterise their properties and performance, including electrochemical analysis and physical measurements, as well as to devise the integration of various co...battery management systemsbattery management systemsThe electronic system that manages and monitors the performance of a battery.design drawingsdesign drawingsThe drawings detailing the design of products, tools, and engineering systems.physicsphysicsThe natural science involving the study of matter, motion, energy, force and related notions.environmental legislationenvironmental legislationThe environmental policies and legislation applicable in a certain domain.environmental threatsenvironmental threatsThe threats for the environment which are related to biological, chemical, nuclear, radiological, and physical hazards.power electronicspower electronicsThe functioning, design, and usage of electronics that control and convert electric power. Power conversion systems are usually categorised as AC-DC or rectifiers, DC-AC or inverters, DC-DC converters...mechanical engineeringmechanical engineeringDiscipline that applies principles of physics, engineering and materials science to design, analyse, manufacture and maintain mechanical systems.electricityelectricityThe principles of electricity and electrical power circuits, as well as the associated risks.health and safety regulationshealth and safety regulationsNecessary health, safety, hygiene and environmental standards and legislation rules in the sector of particular activity.conduct literature researchconduct literature researchConduct a comprehensive and systematic research of information and publications on a specific literature topic. Present a comparative evaluative literature summary.model power electronicsmodel power electronicsModel and simulate power electronics systems, products, and components using technical design software. Assess the viability of the product and examine the physical parameters to ensure a successful p...design power electronicsdesign power electronicsDesign and develop power electronics systems, products, and components according to specifications. Select suitable ancillary devices for the intended application.record test datarecord test dataRecord data which has been identified specifically during preceding tests in order to verify that outputs of the test produce specific results or to review the reaction of the subject under exceptiona...test power electronicstest power electronicsTest power electronics using appropriate equipment. Gather and analyse data on systems and components, such as analogue and digital circuit tolerance, power losses and overall efficiency as electricit...dispose of hazardous wastedispose of hazardous wasteDispose of dangerous materials such as chemical or radioactive substances according to environmental and to health and safety regulations.conduct quality control analysisconduct quality control analysisConduct inspections and tests of services, processes, or products to evaluate quality.use technical drawing softwareuse technical drawing softwareCreate technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.test microelectronicstest microelectronicsTest microelectronics using appropriate equipment. Gather and analyse data. Monitor and evaluate system performance and take action if needed.operate electronic measuring instrumentsoperate electronic measuring instrumentsTend a wide variety of devices for measuring electronic characteristics of system components, such as optical power meter, fibre power meter, digital power meter and multimeter.design electromechanical systemsdesign electromechanical systemsDraft sketches and design electromechanical systems, products, and components using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and equipment.report analysis resultsreport analysis resultsProduce research documents or give presentations to report the results of a conducted research and analysis project, indicating the analysis procedures and methods which led to the results, as well as...ensure material complianceensure material complianceEnsure that the materials provided by suppliers comply with the specified requirements.prepare production prototypesprepare production prototypesPrepare early models or prototypes in order to test concepts and replicability possibilities. Create prototypes to assess for pre-production tests.approve engineering designapprove engineering designGive consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.electronic test procedureselectronic test proceduresTesting protocols that enable a variety of analyses of electronic systems, products, and components. These tests include the testing of electrical properties, such as voltage, current, resistance, cap...engineering principlesengineering principlesThe engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.perform data analysisperform data analysisCollect data and statistics to test and evaluate in order to generate assertions and pattern predictions, with the aim of discovering useful information in a decision-making process.integrated circuitsintegrated circuitsElectronic components, made up from a set of electronic circuits which are placed on semiconductor material, such as silicon. Integrated circuits (IC) can hold billions of electronic components on a m...interpret circuit diagramsinterpret circuit diagramsRead and comprehend circuit diagrams showing the connections between the devices, such as power and signal connections.analyse test dataanalyse test dataInterpret and analyse data collected during testing in order to formulate conclusions, new insights or solutions.adjust engineering designsadjust engineering designsAdjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.draft design specificationsdraft design specificationsList the design specifications such as materials and parts to be used and a cost estimate.design prototypesdesign prototypesDesign prototypes of products or components of products by applying design and engineering principles.develop electronic test proceduresdevelop electronic test proceduresDevelop testing protocols to enable a variety of analyses of electronic systems, products, and components.electricity principleselectricity principlesElectricity is created when electric current flows along a conductor. It entails the movement of free electrons between atoms. The more free electrons are present in a material, the better this materi...define technical requirementsdefine technical requirementsSpecify technical properties of goods, materials, methods, processes, services, systems, software and functionalities by identifying and responding to the particular needs that are to be satisfied acc...electronicselectronicsThe functioning of electronic circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware and software, including programming and applications.
Optional (30) — show
safety engineeringsafety engineeringThe study of the risks associated with engineered designs and systems, accident prevention as well as the safety benefits of reducing deaths and injuries. The discipline focuses on analysing and mitig...consumer electronicsconsumer electronicsThe functioning of electronic consumer goods such as TVs, radios, cameras and other audio and video equipment.risk managementrisk managementThe process of identifying, assessing, and prioritising of all types of risks and where they could come from, such as natural causes, legal changes, or uncertainty in any given context, and the method...robotic componentsrobotic componentsThe components that can be found in robotic systems, such as microprocessors, electronics, sensors, circuit boards, encoders, servomotors, controllers, pneumatics or hydraulics.CAE softwareCAE softwareThe software to perform computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis tasks such as Finite Element Analysis and Computional Fluid Dynamics.CAD softwareCAD softwareThe computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating, modifying, analysing or optimising a design.regulations on substancesregulations on substancesThe national and international regulations on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, e.g. regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.roboticsroboticsThe branch of engineering that involves the design, operation, manufacture, and application of robots. Robotics is part of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science and over...design firmwaredesign firmwareDesign the appropriate firmware to a specific electronic system.assemble hardware componentsassemble hardware componentsAssemble the necessary hardware components, such as the motherboard, Central Processing Unit (CPU), hard drive, disk drive, power supply unit, RAM, PCI card, mouse, keyboard, cameras and other necessa...perform test runperform test runPerform tests putting a system, machine, tool or other equipment through a series of actions under actual operating conditions in order to assess its reliability and suitability to realise its tasks, ...define manufacturing quality criteriadefine manufacturing quality criteriaDefine and describe the criteria by which data quality is measured for manufacturing purposes, such as international standards and manufacturing regulations.create technical planscreate technical plansCreate detailed technical plans of machinery, equipment, tools and other products.design integrated circuitsdesign integrated circuitsDesign and draft integrated circuits (IC) or semiconductors, such as microchips, used in electronic products. Integrate all necessary components, such as diodes, transistors, and resistors. Pay attent...use CAM softwareuse CAM softwareUse computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programmes to control machinery and machine tools in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation as part of the manufacturing processes of workpieces.coordinate engineering teamscoordinate engineering teamsPlan, coordinate and supervise engineering activities together with engineers and engineering technicians. Ensure clear and effective channels of communication across all departments. Make sure the te...use precision toolsuse precision toolsUse electronic, mechanical, electric, or optical precision tools, such as drilling machines, grinders, gear cutters and milling machines to boost accuracy while machining products.draft bill of materialsdraft bill of materialsSet up a list of materials, components, and assemblies as well as the quantities needed to manufacture a certain product.use CAD softwareuse CAD softwareUse computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.apply technical communication skillsapply technical communication skillsExplain technical details to non-technical customers, stakeholders, or any other interested parties in a clear and concise manner.install softwareinstall softwareInstall machine-readable instructions, such as computer programs, in order to direct the computer's processor to perform a certain set of actions.perform project managementperform project managementManage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project's progress in order to achieve a specific g...program firmwareprogram firmwareProgram permanent software with a read-only memory (ROM) on a hardware device, such as an integrated circuit.operate precision machineryoperate precision machineryOperate machinery used for the making of small systems or components with a high level of precision.maintain safe engineering watchesmaintain safe engineering watchesObserve principles in keeping an engineering watch. Take over, accept and hand over a watch. Perform routine duties undertaken during a watch. Maintain the machinery space logs and the significance of...train employeestrain employeesLead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the perform...prepare assembly drawingsprepare assembly drawingsCreate the drawings that identify the different components and materials, and that provide instructions as to how they should be assembled.perform resource planningperform resource planningEstimate the expected input in terms of time, human and financial resources necessary to achieve the project objectives.develop product designdevelop product designConvert market requirements into product design and development.energy saving potential of automated shift systemsenergy saving potential of automated shift systemsPotential to save energy in automated shift systems through mechanisms such as improved efficiency and better anticipation of upcoming events.
Related Occupations
Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.
microelectronics engineer24 shared essential skillselectromagnetic engineer21 shared essential skillssensor engineer21 shared essential skillselectromechanical engineer20 shared essential skillsmicrosystem engineer20 shared essential skillscomputer hardware engineer18 shared essential skillsautomation engineer17 shared essential skillsmechatronics engineer17 shared essential skills
Frequently asked questions
What does a power electronics engineer do?
Power electronics engineers design and test circuits for use in power electronics systems. They find solutions for known flaws in mechanical designs and collaborate with other engineers to perform cross-functional tasks when testing designs.
What skills does a power electronics engineer need?
A power electronics engineer needs 38 essential skills, including battery design, battery management systems, design drawings, physics, environmental legislation.
Will AI replace power electronics engineer jobs?
The AI disruption score for power electronics engineer is 78/100 (very high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: record test data, health and safety regulations, electricity principles. Most resilient: electricity, battery management systems, dispose of hazardous waste.
AI Replacement Risk
78/ 100
Very High Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Skills most at risk from AI
Skills resilient to automation
This is the average for the whole occupation. The AI Career Shield test (about 10 minutes) shows the risk in your own work and what you can do about it.
Check your own AI riskQuick Facts
What are you missing to work as power electronics engineer?
The free skill gap analysis compares your skills with what this occupation requires and shows where to start.
Check your gaps