Principal Mechanical Design Engineer, Industrial Enclosures

Enphase Energy•Austin, TX

1d•$130,000 - $183,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Enphase Power Systems Innovation team in the office of the CTO is responsible for defining, prototyping, and supporting Enphase’s Solid State Transformer products. The team is an integrated, multi-disciplinary group looking for motivated individuals who can contribute and collaborate closely with the team to deliver innovative solutions. As a team member, you will solve some of the most exciting problems in the energy space and help shape the direction of our products. We are looking for a Principal Mechanical Design Engineer with a strong background in industrial enclosure design, including structural analysis, ingress protection, and thermal integration, who will own the design of the outer enclosure for Enphase’s first generation Solid State Transformer product.

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
Ability to solve problems independently and work effectively on early-stage product development efforts with ambiguous requirements and tasks
Ability to take ownership of development tasks and manage various high importance tasks simultaneously
Significant experience in enclosure mechanical design for large electrical equipment or analogous products (e.g. automotive body structures)
Strong proficiency in IP-rated enclosure design — seal design, gasket selection, drainage, and test validation to IP55/IP65 or equivalent
Expertise in structural FEA and analysis for vibration, fatigue, seismic, and load bearing specific to enclosure structures
Demonstrated experience in material selection for enclosure applications — sheet metal (steel, aluminum), stainless steel, polymers, and composites
Experience specifying and validating corrosion protection approaches (e.g., e-coat, powder coat, hot-dip galvanizing, anodizing, hardware selection for dissimilar metals)
Experience designing door systems with latching, locking, and hinge mechanisms for security, weather resistance, and field serviceability
Experience integrating fans, filters, and louvers into enclosure and door designs for thermal management while maintaining ingress protection
Expertise in leveraging various high-volume component manufacturing approaches such as sheet metal stamping, weldments, casting, extrusion, and injection molding
Expertise in various joining techniques such as welding, adhesives, riveting, & bolted joints
High proficiency with an enterprise CAD package (SolidWorks preferred)
Good communication and documentation skills
Strong hands-on mechanical prototyping skills

Nice To Haves

Proficiency with multi-physics modeling
Medium voltage >1kV insulation design and creepage/clearance considerations for enclosures
Familiarity with common standards for electrical equipment (UL, IEC, NEMA)
Experience with thermal management integration at the enclosure level (airflow path design, heat dissipation, CFD)

Responsibilities

Design robust industrial equipment enclosures— including structural frames, panels, rails, and mounting systems
Own the ingress protection (IP) design for outdoor-rated industrial enclosures, ensuring compliance with target IP ratings through seal design, gasketing, and drainage strategies
Perform structural design and FEA for enclosure systems, including load-bearing analysis, vibration and shock analysis, and seismic qualification
Conduct material selection for enclosure components, evaluating metals, polymers, and coatings for strength, weight, cost, and environmental suitability
Specify and validate corrosion protection strategies — including coatings, plating, material pairing, and galvanic isolation — for outdoor and harsh environments
Design door systems with integrated latching/locking mechanisms that meet security, serviceability, and reliability requirements
Design and integrate forced air-cooling systems to support thermal management while maintaining IP ratings
Produce 2D drawings and 3D CAD models, evaluate parts, and collaborate with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and contract manufacturing partners to bring your design to market
Specify key functional and performance requirements; design and execute verification test plans
Complete documentation for design, testing, and analysis
Hands-on fabrication of electromechanical assemblies and prototypes
Mentor junior staff