R&D Electrical Engineer
GA Drilling
Job Description
Role Snapshot
You’ll own the pulse power system that comprises the drill bit, advancing prototypes into reliable, field-ready hardware in a harsh downhole environment. You’ll push electric insulation and field control to the edge of what’s possible, balancing physics, manufacturability, and safety. You’ll turn a working test environment into a repeatable build, test, and learn loop, making smart component-level decisions when the perfect part does not exist
Key Responsibilities
- Architect and build the pulse power source from component level, selecting, qualifying, and validating parts under real tool constraints
- Drive electric insulation strategy, using field stress analysis and experiments to define materials, geometries, and interfaces for high reliability
- Execute pulse power circuit layout and packaging, optimizing creepage, clearance, partial discharge margins, and thermal paths
- Lead component testing and failure analysis, closing the loop between simulation, bench results, and design updates
- Translate system requirements into supplier-ready specifications, negotiate tradeoffs, and interpret supplier test data to make pragmatic choices
- Own the prototype test environment, expand test coverage, and define acceptance criteria tied to field conditions and safety
What You Bring
Technical Toolkit
- High voltage pulse systems, insulation systems, dielectric materials, potting and encapsulation
- Field simulation and circuit modeling, FEM tools, SPICE
- Pulse topologies, capacitors, pulse transformers, resistive dividers, snubbers
- HV PCB layout, creepage and clearance, corona and partial discharge testing
- Test methods, high voltage safety, instrumentation, data acquisition
Professional Experience
- Design, build, and iterate at the component and subsystem level, not just simulate
- Analyze electric field stress and convert insights into geometry, materials, and interfaces
- Communicate with suppliers, translate GA specs, and qualify parts against system behavior
- Operate safely in 40 kV DC input regimes with modest installed power around 40 kW
Nice-to-have
- Downhole or harsh-environment packaging experience, oil and gas tools
- Experience balancing nonstandard pulse requirements beyond textbook Marx designs
- Bilingual collaboration across engineering and manufacturing
Languages
- English - B2 (must have)
Benefits
- Employer pension fund contributions
- Flexible working hours
- Health Insurance plan for whole family
- Salary review on regular basis (at least yearly)
- Transport and meal allowance
R&D Electrical Engineer
GA Drilling
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Based on experience, salary range shared before interview
- Permanent contract
- Full-time (40h/week)
- Medior, Senior
GA Drilling
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
GA Drilling is at the forefront of the energy revolution, pioneering advanced geothermal drilling technologies to unlock clean, affordable energy from the Earth’s depths. Founded in Slovakia, the heart of Europe, the company has grown into a global organization with offices in Houston, Germany, the UK, and Rio de Janeiro. GA Drilling’s vision is to tackle the energy transition by making geothermal energy more accessible and cost-effective through innovative solutions that drill deeper and hotter than ever before. While geothermal remains a cornerstone of their mission, their groundbreaking technologies are also transforming the oil and gas industry. By enabling cost-efficient operations in ultra-deepwater and hard rock environments, GA Drilling is building a bridge between traditional energy sectors and sustainable, renewable solutions.
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Company Type: Multinational company
- Industries: design engineering, electrical engineering, electronics, energy, HW development, mechanical engineering, project management, R&D