Principal Mechanical Design Engineer, Industrial Enclosures

Enphase Energy•Austin, TX

1d•$130,000 - $183,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Power Systems Innovation team is building Enphase's first-ever Solid State Transformer, a breakthrough technology that replaces bulky, legacy transformer hardware with sleek, software-defined power conversion. As our Principal Mechanical Design Engineer, you will own the structural envelope that protects this technology in the field: the enclosure, thermal architecture, and environmental sealing that let a cutting-edge power electronics platform survive punishing outdoor conditions while looking and feeling like the future. This is a rare greenfield opportunity—early-stage, high-visibility, and deeply cross-functional—where your design choices will directly define the product's form factor, reliability, and market readiness. You will join a team of exceptionally talented engineers and scientists at Enphase—a global energy technology leader whose products are installed on more than 5 million homes and businesses worldwide. Our engineering culture is built on intellectual rigor, rapid prototyping, and a shared obsession with elegant solutions to hard problems. The people here are among the best in power electronics, firmware, mechanical design, and systems engineering—and they will push you to do the most impactful work of your career.

Requirements

BS/MS/PhD Mechanical Engineering or closely related discipline
BS and 15+ years / MS and 12+ years / PhD and 8+ years of mechanical design experience
Independent problem-solver who thrives in ambiguity—you can navigate early-stage product development where requirements are still being written and turn uncertainty into elegant solutions
Relentless ownership mentality—you juggle multiple high-stakes workstreams simultaneously, drive them to closure, and never let a critical detail slip
Deep enclosure design expertise for large-scale electrical equipment or analogous products (e.g., automotive body structures), with a portfolio that proves you've shipped real hardware
IP-rated sealing mastery—you live and breathe seal design, gasket selection, drainage strategies, and test validation to IP55/IP65 or equivalent, and can defend every design choice
Structural FEA authority—vibration, fatigue, seismic, and load-bearing analysis specific to enclosure structures is second nature to you; you turn simulation into a competitive advantage
Materials & corrosion-protection strategist—sheet metal (steel, aluminum), stainless steel, polymers, composites, and coatings; you know how to pair them for decades of outdoor durability
Corrosion protection validation chops—hands-on experience specifying and proving out e-coat, powder coat, hot-dip galvanizing, anodizing, and hardware selection for dissimilar-metal environments
Door & access system designer—latching, locking, and hinge mechanisms for security, weather resistance, and fast field serviceability are in your design DNA
Thermal-mechanical integration pro—you've integrated fans, filters, and louvers into enclosure and door designs, balancing thermal performance with ingress protection
Manufacturing-savvy engineer—you leverage sheet metal stamping, weldments, casting, extrusion, and injection molding to hit cost, quality, and volume targets
Joining techniques expert—welding, adhesives, riveting, and bolted joints; you pick the right method for every interface and know the trade-offs cold
CAD power user—high proficiency with an enterprise 3D CAD package (SolidWorks preferred); your models are production-ready and parametrically clean
Clear communicator & documenter—you translate complex mechanical decisions into crisp reports, specs, and presentations that move programs forward
Hands-on prototyping instincts—you're as comfortable on the shop floor building assemblies as you are behind a screen running simulations
Proven mentor and design leader—you have a track record of coaching junior engineers, elevating their technical skills, and leading end-to-end design efforts from concept through production release

Nice To Haves

Multi-physics modeling proficiency—coupled thermal-structural-electromagnetic simulation that unlocks deeper design insight
Medium-voltage insulation design experience (>1 kV)—creepage, clearance, and dielectric considerations that are critical to next-gen power electronics enclosures
Standards fluency—working knowledge of UL, IEC, and NEMA standards for electrical equipment, enabling faster certification cycles

Responsibilities

Architect the complete enclosure system for Enphase's Solid State Transformer—structural frames, panels, rails, and mounting systems—balancing ruggedness, weight, cost, and aesthetics from first sketch through volume production
Own ingress protection end-to-end: define IP55/IP65 sealing strategies, select gaskets and drainage paths, run validation tests, and iterate until every field scenario—driving rain, dust storms, coastal salt spray—is covered
Lead structural analysis and FEA across static loads, vibration, shock, and seismic qualification, turning simulation results into lighter, stiffer, more cost-effective designs
Drive material and corrosion-protection decisions—sheet metal alloys, polymers, coatings, plating, and galvanic isolation—ensuring long term outdoor durability in harsh climates
Design high-performance door and access systems with integrated latching, locking, and hinge mechanisms that balance security, weather resistance, and fast field serviceability
Integrate forced-air cooling architectures into the enclosure to support aggressive thermal targets without compromising environmental sealing
Bring your designs to life—build 3D CAD models and production drawings in SolidWorks, collaborate with suppliers and contract manufacturers, and get hands-on with prototype fabrication and electromechanical assemblies
Define verification strategy: author functional and performance requirements, design test plans, execute tests, and close the loop with rigorous design-test-analysis documentation
Shape the team's technical culture by mentoring junior engineers, championing best practices in enclosure design, and contributing to a fast-moving, innovation-driven environment
Accelerate your technical growth—work shoulder-to-shoulder with PhD-level engineers, firmware architects, and systems thinkers who challenge assumptions and raise the bar daily; this team will stretch you in ways no ordinary engineering role can
Expand your impact beyond enclosures—contribute to system-level trade-offs across thermal, electrical, and mechanical domains, gaining exposure to the full Solid State Transformer architecture and broadening your expertise into adjacent disciplines
Help build a category-defining product—Enphase is a proven innovator that disrupted the solar microinverter market and now aims to do the same for medium-voltage power conversion; your work will be visible at the highest levels of the company and across the energy industry