Driving mosfets when supply is greater than Vgs Limit
Here is the basic idea. I don't think this will switch super fast or anything, but it should be a bit faster than the most simplistic approach because the BJT will not be saturated, and so it should turn off a bit faster than a saturated switch. The current through the Zener will be around (VCC-0.6) / R1. So if the PWM is a 3.3V signal, it will be around 2.7 mA through the Zener. I have never done this and didn't even simulate it, but it seems like it could work.







simulate this circuit &ndash; Schematic created using CircuitLab

The base resistor does not have to be large because the emitter resistor limits the base current.

Best of luck.