Lead System Architect - Excitation Systems

About the role

ABB is looking for a Lead System Architect for its excitation systems, reporting to the R&D Team Lead. The role shapes the architecture, compliance strategy and system validation of ABB excitation systems and acts as a key technical authority for UNITROL 8000, connecting product and system requirements with architecture, development, verification, lifecycle and customer application needs. It provides technical leadership for major product-platform initiatives and complex product issues within the Excitation Systems R&D organization in Switzerland. The work model is hybrid.

Key responsibilities

• Define and maintain product and system requirements, the UNITROL 8000 system architecture, functional boundaries, interfaces and technical specifications.
• Own system compliance and validation strategies, including defining, coordinating and evaluating system and component type tests in internal and external laboratories.
• Lead cross-functional technical activities across development, system integration, validation and lifecycle, including technical program or project leadership for major platform initiatives.
• Act as a Level 4 technical expert for complex product, customer and field issues, turning lessons learned into requirements, architecture decisions and reusable engineering guidance.

Required profile

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, Energy Systems, Power Systems Engineering or a related discipline.
• Extensive experience with excitation systems, including system architecture, application engineering, commissioning and technical leadership of complex industrial power-electronic products.
• Strong knowledge of thyristor and IGBT converter systems, including system integration, protection, electrical safety, thermal behavior and grid compliance.
• Hands-on experience in verification and validation, system and type testing, troubleshooting and root-cause analysis in power laboratories and at customer sites.
• Good understanding of international standards such as EMC, insulation, partial discharge, temperature-rise testing and IEC 62477 safety requirements.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary technical projects and collaborate across global teams, with a strong understanding of customer applications and market needs.

Required skills

• Power-system simulation and engineering tools (DIgSILENT PowerFactory, PSCAD, MATLAB Simulink or PLECS) are an advantage.