Chief Systems Architect

Schneider Electric has a meaningful opportunity available for a Chief Systems Architect in our Power Products division. You will work for a company consistently rated by Fortune as one of the “Great Places to Work”, by Glassdoor as “Best Places To Work” and by TIME as the #1 “Most Sustainable Company in the World.”

Mission

Serve as the end-to-end technical authority for Schneider Electric solutions that integrate Solid State Transformer (SST) technologies with the wider electrical and infrastructure system. Translate customer and market needs into engineering requirements, reference architectures and interface specifications. Lead technical trade-offs across the full power train and ensure that system performance, safety, protection, control, thermal management, validation and lifecycle considerations are addressed coherently.

• Focus on the North America AI Factory pipeline, translating approved 36 kV SST and integrated power train strategies into reusable system architectures, interface definitions and technical readiness evidence.
• Apply this role's technical authority to NA system integration within the GSA-approved architecture and delegated decision limits. Prepare technical recommendations and obtain GSA approval for material baseline changes, with GPO review for offer scope and roadmap impacts.
• Work with the Customer Solution Architect to convert customer application needs into system requirements, and with the PM to deliver technical work packages for customer pilots, UL certification, laboratory readiness and industrialization

Scope & Enviornment

Global architecture role supporting the US hub and distributed engineering teams in the US, Europe and China. The technical scope may include grid and medium-voltage interfaces, SST power conversion, DC distribution, BESS, AI rack power, cooling infrastructure, protection, grounding, controls, communications, cybersecurity and digital services. The role leads through technical authority and architecture governance rather than direct line management.

• Apply a North America-only market mandate supporting 34.5 kV utility applications using the approved 36 kV SST design basis. Global teams are contributors to NA delivery rather than additional regional markets for this role.
• Concentrate on reusable integrated-system definition across MV distribution, SST, DC/DC, BESS, DC distribution, prefab, cooling, protection, controls and auxiliaries, using the approved DC-voltage architecture.
• Maintain the NA system reference and interface baseline for GSA review. Translate Customer Solution Architect application inputs into integration requirements and provide the PM with technical deliverables, dependencies, effort and readiness criteria.
• Support internal certification, lab setup and production readiness as technical workstreams in the PM's integrated program, including periods when no customer PoC is active.

Key Responsibilities

Translate customer, market and regulatory needs into an end-to-end system requirements baseline. Define reference architectures, functional decomposition, operating modes, design constraints and measurable system performance targets.

  • Develop the NA system requirements allocation, reference single-line diagrams, operating modes and performance envelopes from approved product strategy and consolidated customer application inputs.
  • Review requirements jointly with the Customer Solution Architect to distinguish reusable system needs from project-specific constraints. Maintain a shared requirements-to-interface-to-test matrix and explicit equipment boundaries.
  • Prepare trade-offs and technical-baseline submissions for GSA review and route product-scope or roadmap implications to the GPO through agreed governance.
  • Give the PM an agreed technical work breakdown, dependencies, resource estimates and acceptance evidence for customer pilots and internal readiness gates.

Own system boundaries and interface specifications across the complete power train, including electrical, control, communication, mechanical, thermal, protection and safety interfaces. Ensure bidirectional traceability between requirements, design decisions and verification evidence.

  • Author and maintain the integrated-system interface control documents with engineering leads, covering MV/DC ratings, grounding, protection, auxiliaries, thermal limits, mechanical access, communications and cybersecurity boundaries.
  • Define cross-equipment control authority, interlocks, time synchronization and failure/recovery behavior for SST, DC/DC, BESS and supervisory control, obtaining GSA review for architecture decisions.
  • Review customer-specific departures proposed by the Customer Solution Architect against the approved system baseline, document technical disposition and escalate changes beyond delegated limits.
  • Use one controlled interface register with both the Customer Solution Architect and PM. Supply technical closure evidence and dates; notify the PM of unresolved dependencies affecting procurement, testing or deployment.

Lead architecture studies and trade-offs covering topology, voltage levels, redundancy, availability, efficiency, power quality, fault management, maintainability, modularity, cost and roadmap reuse. Chair design reviews and approve or escalate material architecture deviations.

  • Lead system studies for impedance interaction, weak-grid operation, MV/DC fault behavior, protection selectivity, grounding, availability, losses, thermal integration and maintainability using approved equipment models.
  • Evaluate 36 kV SST integration and DC/DC+BESS options against NA deployment needs. Coordinate the Customer Solution Architect's site assumptions and submit consequential design choices to the GSA.
  • Prepare technical maturity and gap assessments for UL certification, laboratories and industrialization, including component suitability, insulation, test coverage, manufacturing tolerances and production-test needs.
  • Provide the PM with quantified technical risks and recovery options. Participate in joint reviews and obtain GSA/GPO decisions through agreed governance before releasing material technical or offer changes.

Establish the system-level strategy for functional safety, electrical safety, insulation coordination, grounding, protection, cybersecurity and applicable standards. Define the verification and validation framework from modelling and hardware-in-the-loop through subsystem and integrated-system tests.

  • Lead technical inputs to the PM-managed UL certification program with compliance specialists: assessment boundaries, applicable requirements, compliance gaps, technical-file content, test specifications and corrective-action evidence.
  • Define technical requirements and acceptance evidence for lab capability, MV/DC supplies, simulation/HIL, load/BESS emulation, protection, instrumentation and calibration; support PM-coordinated procurement and commissioning reviews.
  • Specify integrated validation for approved FRT, AI smoothing, transfer/backup, weak-grid, parallel, bypass and fault use cases. Agree customer-specific limits and witness requirements with the Customer Solution Architect.
  • Review test results, deviations and retest needs, and submit technical readiness recommendations for GSA approval. Give the PM traceable evidence for certification, lab, pilot and production-release gates.

Provide technical direction to product owners and engineering teams, identify capability gaps, capture reusable patterns and lessons learned, and coach architects and technical leads across the organization.

  • Maintain reusable NA reference configurations, validated interface limits and technical lessons learned from customer programs, certification testing, laboratories and pilot builds.
  • Review recurring customer gaps with the Customer Solution Architect and present evidence-based architecture recommendations to the GSA and roadmap/offer recommendations to the GPO.
  • Participate in PM-led portfolio and gate reviews. Commit technical deliverables, surface unresolved risks and close assigned actions in the shared program records.
  • Support manufacturing, quality, service and application teams with approved integration guidance, production-test requirements and troubleshooting knowledge for repeatable NA deployment.

Requirements

• Master degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, Power Systems or a closely related discipline. Equivalent distinguished industry experience may be considered. Equivalent experience should demonstrate integrated MV/Direct Current system architecture, validation and technical readiness for mission-critical deployments.
• Typically 15 or more years of relevant engineering experience, including substantial responsibility for architecture of complex, safety-critical or mission-critical power systems.
• Demonstrated leadership of NAM data-center or utility-facing system integration through technical review, prototype validation and deployment, with effective coordination across global product and regional execution teams. Deep expertise in several relevant domains such as medium-voltage conversion, SST, high-power power electronics, DC systems, BESS, protection, controls, thermal design, insulation coordination or data center power.
• Practical depth in MV insulation/grounding, DC protection, converter/BESS interaction, dynamic stability and prefab integration, with the ability to define measurable equipment-interface limits.
• Evidence of technical contributions to UL certification, laboratory capability definition and industrialization readiness, working with compliance specialists, manufacturing teams and program management.
• Ability to travel up to 35%

Join us and bring your expertise to a team that's shaping the future of customer solutions!

At Schneider, we believe that every employee is a talent who deserves equal opportunities. This means you matter. Every individual needs to feel valued, supported, and treated fairly to do their best work.

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For this U.S. based position, the expected TOTAL pay range is USD 168,800 - USD 253,200 per year. This pay range includes base pay and short-term incentives. The compensation range for this full-time position applies to candidates located within the United States. Our pay ranges are determined by reviewing roles of similar responsibility and level. Within the pay range, individual pay is determined by several factors including performance, knowledge, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Schneider Electric is there when it matters most to you

Our Total Rewards package outlines all the benefits and support you’ll enjoy as part of the Schneider Electric team:

Care for Yourself and Your Family. We ensure you feel secure with benefits that help you and your family thrive: medical (with member reward points), dental, vision, and basic life insurance, Benefit Bucks (credits to apply towards your benefits), flexible work arrangements, paid family leaves, well-being programs, 12 holidays per year, 20 days of paid time off per year (pro-rated in the first year of employment based on start date).

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