Principal Engineer – Electrical, Lightning Protection & Ice Mitigation

Job description

Job Description Summary GE Vernova is seeking a Principal Engineer to provide technical leadership in Lightning Protection & Ice Mitigation for wind turbine blades—an area critical to safety, quality, and long‑term performance. This Control Title Holder (CTH) role owns the technical underwriting of the lightning protection and ice mitigation systems design concepts, specifications, practices, issue resolution approaches, and defect acceptance criteria across the full product lifecycle. Lightning protection and ice mitigation represent the primary protection for the wind turbine blade against environmental events. This includes integrating the wind blade into the turbine grounding system along with other components within the wind turbine blade, such as the monitoring system and carbon components. In this role, you will define and enforce the technical rigor required to ensure design decisions result in safe, high‑quality products and services that meet customer and regulatory expectations. You will collaborate closely with blade design teams, cross‑functional partners, and designated technical experts across Design, Systems, Quality, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing—providing both technical oversight and hands‑on contribution as needed. You will support the Blades Chief Engineer in setting and executing strategy related to design robustness, factory and field issue resolution, and technology development within the lightning and ice mitigation domain. A key responsibility of this role is mentoring and developing engineering talent, building sustainable technical depth within blade structural components. This is a senior technical leadership role requiring deep domain expertise, strong systems thinking, and disciplined problem‑solving, while actively advancing organizational capability and engineering excellence. Job Description Roles and Responsibilities : Technical Authority & Strategic Roadmap: Serve as the global Control Title Holder (CTH) for lightning protection and ice mitigation; own the technology roadmap, design specifications, and underwriting of all system concepts, defect acceptance criteria, and safety practices across the product lifecycle. System-Level Engineering & EMI Control: Define and oversee the holistic integration of lightning protection and grounding from blade tip to foundation; manage electro-physics modeling, high-voltage transient analysis, and EMI design to ensure system reliability and common-mode current mitigation in bearings. Performance Validation & Risk Management: Lead robust validation campaigns—including HALT and subscale testing—to verify performance under extreme environmental conditions; chair critical design reviews and drive FMEA-based risk mitigation to ensure design robustness. Cross-Functional Execution & Quality Oversight: Collaborate with Design, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to provide hands-on technical guidance on NPI, factory quality issues, field repairs, and the integration of advanced heating technologies for ice mitigation. Technical Leadership & Capability Building: Drive organizational excellence by mentoring engineering talent, setting technical rigor standards, and representing the company in international standards bodies (e.g., IEC, UL) to influence regulatory requirements and industry best practices. Required Qualifications : Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline. 10+ years of professional experience in high voltage and high current electrical systems. Eligibility Requirements : This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information. If applicable, final offers will be contingent on ability to obtain authorization for access to U.S. export-controlled information from the U.S. Government. The Preferred work location for this role is at the GE Vernova Hub in Greenville, SC (if not already local, relocation assistance can be applied if in the U.S to Greenville, SC). This role can also be performed from Barcelona (Spain) or Bangalore (India). Desired Characteristics : Master’s or PhD degree preferred. In‑depth knowledge of high voltage electro physics. In-depth knowledge of IEC 61400-24 requirements and testing procedures and the building‑block approach to validation. Working knowledge of composite manufacturing processes. Prior experience in technical leadership roles guiding teams through structured design processes to deliver safe, high‑quality products. Direct experience with wind turbine blade composite structural design and material systems for insulating characteristics. Knowledge of APQP, TRL/MRL, and statistical process control methodologies. Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams, including globally distributed teams, through design reviews, technical assessments, and root cause investigations. Proven experience resolving complex technical issues through cross‑functional collaboration and structured problem‑solving tools such as FMEA and RCA / 8D. Knowledge of wind turbine industry standards and regulations applicable to blade lightning and ice mitigation systems. Experience in project execution, translating high‑level objectives into clear, actionable plans and driving disciplined operational execution. Ability to articulate 1D and 2D design into 3D models to visualize interactions of components with electro physics. Track record of curiosity and passion for identifying, developing, and implementing new technologies, methods, and ideas that result in differentiated product outcomes. Experience coaching, mentoring, and developing engineering talent to support long‑term professional growth and succession. This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information. If applicable, final offers will be contingent on ability to obtain authorization for access to U.S. export-controlled information from the U.S. Government. Additional Information GE Vernova offers a great work environment, professional development, challenging careers, and competitive compensation. GE Vernova is an Equal Opportunity Employer . Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. GE Vernova will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen (as applicable). Relocation Assistance Provided: Yes For candidates applying to a U.S. based position, the pay range for this position is between $131,700.00 and $219,300.00. The Company pays a geographic differential of 110%, 120% or 130% of salary in certain areas. The specific pay offered may be influenced by a variety of factors, including the candidate’s experience, education, and skill set. Bonus eligibility: discretionary annual bonus. This posting is expected to remain open for at least seven days after it was posted on September 01, 2026. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage; access to Health Coach from GE Vernova, a 24/7 nurse-based resource; and access to the Employee Assistance Program, providing 24/7 confidential assessment, counseling and referral services. Retirement benefits include the GE Vernova Retirement Savings Plan, a tax-advantaged 401(k) savings opportunity with company matching contributions and company retirement contributions, as well as access to Fidelity resources and financial planning consultants. Other benefits include tuition assistance, adoption assistance, paid parental leave, disability benefits, life insurance, 12 paid holidays, and permissive time off. GE Vernova Inc. or its affiliates (collectively or individually, “GE Vernova”) sponsor certain employee benefit plans or programs GE Vernova reserves the right to terminate, amend, suspend, replace, or modify its benefit plans and programs at any time and for any reason, in its sole discretion. No individual has a vested right to any benefit under a GE Vernova welfare benefit plan or program. This document does not create a contract of employment with any individual.