Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

Principal Mechanical Design Engineer - Electrical Equipment Enclosures

Global Power Components –

Milwaukee, WI (onsite 5-days/week)

Direct Hire

Position Summary

Global Power Components is seeking a Principal Mechanical Design Engineer to provide expert technical leadership for the mechanical design and analysis of electrical power distribution enclosures. This role will own enclosure integrity, short-circuit withstand, thermal management, simulation, and design validation. The engineer will work directly with product development, certification, and manufacturing teams to turn new equipment concepts into safe, repeatable, production-ready designs.

Key Responsibilities

• Enclosure Design and Technical Ownership

  Own the structural and mechanical design of enclosures, frames, doors, covers, barriers, mounting structures, bus supports, and bracing systems for electrical power distribution equipment.

  Translate electrical ratings, short-circuit requirements, thermal loads, environmental requirements, and manufacturing constraints into robust mechanical designs.

  Establish structural and thermal design criteria, safety margins, calculation methods, and reusable engineering standards across product families.

  Make material, thickness, joining, fastening, gasketing, and reinforcement decisions based on analysis, testing, cost, and manufacturability.

• Simulation, Analysis, and Test Confidence

  Lead finite element analysis of short-circuit forces, structural loading, stress, deformation, vibration, and dynamic response using ANSYS or comparable simulation software.

  Lead thermal and airflow analysis to predict heat rise, hot spots, ventilation performance, and component or bus temperature limits.

  Develop simulation models that represent actual enclosure construction, joints, supports, materials, bus structures, and boundary conditions.

  Correlate simulation results with prototype and laboratory test data, then continuously improve model accuracy and design rules.

  Use analysis to identify design risk before certification testing and recommend changes that improve the probability of passing on the first test.

• Validation, Certification, and Manufacturing Integration

  Own the mechanical and thermal portions of verification plans, design reviews, instrumentation, acceptance criteria, and failure analysis.

  Provide mechanical and thermal technical leadership before, during, and after product and certification testing.

  Partner with the product-development engineer to meet product-layout and performance requirements while developing and validating the enclosure and structural design.

  Work directly with manufacturing on sheet metal fabrication, welding, hardware, assembly, finishing, prototypes, first builds, and design-for-manufacturing improvements.

  Document assumptions, calculations, analysis results, design decisions, and lessons learned so they become part of the product-development system.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Twelve or more years of direct design experience with enclosures for electrical power distribution equipment.
• Demonstrated expertise using ANSYS or comparable simulation software for structural, dynamic, or short‑circuit‑force analysis.
• Experience modeling thermal performance, airflow, heat transfer, and temperature rise in enclosed electrical equipment.
• Experience owning the mechanical design of enclosures and structures through analysis, prototype, certification testing, and production release.
• Deep knowledge of fabricated sheet metal structures, welded assemblies, bolted joints, fasteners, materials, tolerances, and design for manufacturing.
• Ability to make and defend technical decisions using calculations, simulations, test evidence, and sound engineering judgment.

Preferred

• Experience designing switchgear, switchboards, motor control centers, busway, panelboards, or other high-current electrical equipment.
• Experience analyzing electromagnetic short‑circuit forces and the mechanical response of bus supports, barriers, and enclosures.
• Experience with coupled structural and thermal simulation, CFD, multiphysics analysis, or nonlinear contact analysis.
• Experience preparing designs for UL, IEEE, ANSI, NEMA, IEC, or related certification and high‑power laboratory testing.
• Experience building simulation methods and design standards for a new or expanding product platform.

Success Profile

Is a true technical expert who uses engineering tools and evidence to reduce design and certification risk. Does not rely on excessive material or conservative sizing as a substitute for analysis. Balances short‑circuit performance, thermal performance, manufacturability, cost, and scalability. Remains hands‑on with models, calculations, designs, prototypes, and laboratory testing. Establishes reusable methods that raise the technical capability of the broader engineering team.

About GPC

At Global Power Components, our mission is simple: Inov8OrDie Driven by this mindset, GPC has grown from 200 to more than 2,000 employees in just five years, expanding from one manufacturing facility to four locations across the Milwaukee area, including our new 500,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in West Milwaukee. We design and manufacture the critical infrastructure that surrounds and supports power generation. But what sets GPC apart isn't just what we build — it's how we work. We move fast. We make decisions. We solve problems. We challenge ourselves to continuously improve, raise the bar and deliver quality work on time. We look for ways to remove unnecessary complexity and make work easier for our customers, our partners and each other. And through it all, we protect our people, our workplaces and the reputation we've built. GPC isn't a traditional corporate environment — and we don't want to be. We expect people to take ownership, speak up, make decisions and get things done. As GPC continues to grow, our people have opportunities to take on significant responsibility, solve bigger problems and make a visible impact on the business. If you're energized by growth, comfortable with change, willing to roll up your sleeves and want to help build what's next in power generation, GPC is a place where you can make an impact.