Electrical Engineer 3 - Motors and Controls
$120k - $145k/yr
Senior
Rockford, IL, USA
In Person
Electrical EngineeringControls & Automation Engineering
About the job
Requirements
- At least 5 years of experience in motor design, motor control, or electromechanical actuation.
- Strong background in fractional-horsepower motor physics, electromagnetic design, and performance modeling.
- Proficiency in motor-control algorithms, including field-oriented control, proportional-integral-derivative tuning, commutation strategies, and sensorless control.
- Experience with embedded firmware for real-time controls using C/C++, a real-time operating system, or bare-metal development.
- Experience with feedback sensors, including resolvers, encoders, and Hall sensors, and signal-conditioning circuits.
- Familiarity with aerospace environmental and reliability requirements, including DO-160, DO-254, derating, and thermal analysis.
- Strong troubleshooting skills using oscilloscopes, current probes, and logic analyzers.
- Ability to work cross-functionally in a regulated engineering environment.
Responsibilities
- Design, model, and analyze fractional-horsepower motors, including brushless DC, permanent-magnet synchronous, brushed DC, and stepper motors, for aerospace actuation applications.
- Perform electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical analysis of motor designs, including torque-speed optimization, losses, and efficiency.
- Collaborate with mechanical and systems engineering to integrate motors into electromechanical actuator assemblies.
- Architect and design motor-drive electronics, including gate drivers, current-sense circuits, resolver and encoder interfaces, and protection circuitry.
- Develop mixed-signal schematics and oversee PCB layout for motor-control boards, ensuring signal integrity, electromagnetic compatibility robustness, and aerospace reliability.
- Implement and tune current, velocity, and position control loops, including field-oriented, trapezoidal, sinusoidal, and sensorless control.
- Develop real-time embedded firmware for motor control, actuator control, and system-level coordination using C/C++, bare-metal development, or a real-time operating system.
- Implement control algorithms, state machines, safety monitors, and communication protocols, including CAN, RS-485, and ARINC 429.
- Perform hardware-in-the-loop testing, firmware bring-up, and system debugging.
- Support requirements development, allocation, and traceability for motor-control and actuation subsystems.
- Ensure compliance with DO-160, DO-254, ARP4754, and other aerospace or military standards.
- Participate in design reviews, failure modes and effects analyses, and safety analyses for electromechanical control systems.
- Develop and execute motor-control test plans, including bench testing and environmental qualification.
- Diagnose issues related to motor performance, control stability, electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility, firmware timing, and sensor feedback.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with electromechanical actuators for utility actuation or flight-control systems.
- Knowledge of FPGA-based motor control or high-speed digital logic.
- Experience with MATLAB/Simulink for control-loop modeling and simulation.
- Exposure to safety-critical firmware development and certification processes.
- Familiarity with power-stage design, including MOSFET/IGBT selection, gate-drive tuning, and thermal management.
- Experience with NI LabVIEW.
- Experience safely working in a laboratory with voltages greater than 500 V.
About the company
Kaney provides high-reliability engineering and manufacturing for aerospace, defense, and medical markets, with AS9100 certification and vertical integration. It designs and builds electromechanical actuators, smart servos with embedded DO-178 Level A software, power-management systems, and precision gearboxes for mission-critical applications, plus test labs and certification support. It differentiates itself by offering full lifecycle services—from architecture and design to FAA/EASA certification, build-to-print manufacturing, and system integration laboratories—serving top customers like Boeing and the USAF. Its goal is to deliver certified propulsion, avionics, and medical motion-control solutions with complete lifecycle support, growing through strategic acquisitions and partnerships.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$1.9M
Headquarters
Rockford, Illinois
Founded
N/A
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- July 14, 2026's $2.88 million BGT expansion lifts capacity and automation immediately.
- Velocity One's Charlesbank backing funds R&D, hiring, and acquisition-driven cross-selling in 2026.
- Northrop Grumman's 2024 Supplier Excellence Award validates Kaney's quality and opens deeper defense work.
What critics are saying
- Velocity One integration after February 24, 2026 can disrupt Kaney's engineering culture and customers.
- Boeing, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman, and Safran dependence creates brutal program-concentration risk.
- If AAM or defense orders slip, Kaney's capital-heavy plants face underutilization and covenant stress.
What makes Kaney unique
- Kaney pairs AS9100 manufacturing with FAA Part 145 and EASA repair capabilities, rare for 2026.
- Its motion-control systems fly on commercial jets, AAM aircraft, and defense platforms.
- BGT Aerospace adds precision ball screws and grinding for mission-critical aerospace and medical components.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Flexible Work Hours
- Professional Development Budget
- Training Programs