Senior Staff Mechanical Design Engineer

Company Overview   

Amperesand is reinventing how the world powers its most critical systems.

We are facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity for infrastructure disruption. Electricity demand is skyrocketing, driven by AI factories, electric vehicles, and modern industrial growth. Energy supply is shifting to incorporate a more diverse mix of resources – including solar, gas, and batteries – at a massive scale.

And yet the power infrastructure behind our latest mega-projects hasn’t meaningfully changed in nearly 100 years. Supply chains for today’s infrastructure equipment can’t match the pace and sophistication of critical energy projects. Amperesand is building hardware and software that rewrites this broken power infrastructure playbook to support a new era of energy abundance.

We’ve built a new class of intelligent, software-defined power infrastructure products leveraging a decade of advanced medium voltage Solid State Transformer research that’s now ready for commercial deployment.

Our products and solutions go far beyond the capabilities of traditional electrical equipment. We make power systems that are faster to deploy, dramatically smaller and more efficient, and capable of supporting modern, dynamic energy needs for tomorrow’s most demanding energy consumers.

Scalable in-house advanced manufacturing capability is our foundation for meeting timeline and quality expectation to serve infrastructure customers around the world.

Amperesand is led by breakthrough energy hardware development veterans and funded by top tier investors who share our vision of building a category-defining energy technology company.

With hubs in San Francisco, Reno, and Singapore, our global team is laser focused on building foundational technology to solve the most pressing problems in power infrastructure at scale.

Join us in building the power foundation of the future!

Role Summary: 

We are seeking a skilled Senior Staff Mechanical Design Engineer to join our team and contribute to the development of power electronics products.

The primary function of this position is to own mechanical architecture and design strategy across multiple power converter platforms and voltage classes, including designing custom mechanical parts across our power converter modules and our system design.  You will serve as the technical authority and escalation point for Staff and Senior mechanical engineers on the organization's toughest design problems, and will work closely with cross-functional teams, including manufacturing, test engineers, quality, and new product introduction (NPI) as the primary design point of contact to support and guide these teams as they work with our designs.  Strong ability to understand problems, synthesize inputs from cross-functional stakeholders, and cut through the noise and connect the dots to develop a clear plan of action is key in this role.

Responsibilities:

• Own the multi-generation mechanical technology roadmap across product platforms.
• Mentor Staff and Senior mechanical engineers and lead design-review governance.
• Represent mechanical engineering in executive and leadership technical reviews.
• Drive build-vs-buy and make-vs-buy strategy at the program level.
• Model and design complex electro-mechanical parts, including plastics, sheet metal, insulators, magnetic components, and high-voltage connectors, creating detailed 3D and 2D designs using CAD software.
• Serve as the primary design point of contact for cross-functional teams, guiding their work and connecting the dots between many inputs to develop a clear plan of attack on problems.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, thermal, firmware and controls, manufacturing, test, quality, reliability, and industrial design teams.
• Lead prototype development, fabrication, assembly, and mechanical testing of new designs.
• Drive trade studies to inform system-level decisions on design architecture, materials, and manufacturing processes.
• Guide selection for structural, thermal, and electrical compatibility in high-voltage environments.
• Define and execute validation test plans including structural, thermal, and environmental testing.
• Support root-cause analysis of design issues in pilot or production builds and lead iterative improvements.
• Perform mechanical design analysis, including structural FEA, thermal CFD, vibration, and fatigue assessments.
• Solve packaging challenges involving electrical isolation, sealing, thermal dissipation, EMI/EMC shielding, and mechanical shock/vibration.
• Create engineering documentation, tolerance stacks, BOMs, and release packages through PLM systems.
• Work closely with suppliers to optimize DFM, DFA, and tooling strategies for high-volume production.
• Contribute to the layout and design of integrated cooling systems including cold plates, thermal interfaces, and airflow paths.
• Develop assembly procedures and manufacturing instructions to support scalable production.
• Participate in mechanical FMEA and DVP&R activities across product lifecycle stages.
• Work with quality and reliability teams to meet performance, lifecycle, and safety targets.
• Set mechanical design standards and DFM/DFA guidelines used across the engineering organization.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in mechanical design for power electronics, automotive, industrial, or energy products.
• Expertise in CAD modeling using 3D EXPERIENCE (CATIA V6/V5), SolidWorks, NX, or Creo.
• Deep understanding of mechanical fundamentals—statics, dynamics, heat transfer, and materials.
• Ability to understand the root of a problem based on first-principles understanding – not just what people are telling you their opinion of the problem is.
• Proficiency in GD&T, tolerance analysis, and DFM/DFA principles.
• Experience designing enclosures for IP-rated or outdoor-rated power equipment.
• Experience with high-volume manufacturing processes such as injection molding, die casting, extrusion, and sheet metal forming.
• Working knowledge of materials: metals (aluminum, steel), plastics, ceramics, gaskets, potting compounds.
• Hands-on experience taking designs from prototype through production deployment.
• Familiarity with PLM systems (3D EXPERIENCE, Windchill, etc.) and engineering change workflows.
• Comfortable with root-cause analysis, failure mode resolution, and mechanical reliability testing.
• Strong communication skills and ability to lead cross-functional design reviews and technical deep-dives.
• Demonstrated technical leadership without direct reports (e.g., technical lead, design authority, or equivalent role).
• Experience directing the work of junior engineers on large efforts.
• Prior experience collaborating with suppliers on tooling development, DFM feedback, and tolerance negotiations.
• Familiarity with PCBAs, connectors, and mechanical integration of high-density electronic assemblies.
• Experience with design and test documentation for regulatory standards (UL, IEC, NEC preferred).
• Passion for product innovation, sustainability, and enabling electrification through engineering excellence.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 15% - 20% including internationally

Bonus Qualifications:

• Strong background in structural, thermal, and vibration analysis using tools like Ansys Mechanical, Fluent, and Maxwell.
• Familiarity with electronics packaging and PCB interface considerations.
• Experience with medium- to high-voltage systems and insulation coordination (creepage, clearance, potting, sealing).
• Experience working in Agile development environments, including task management and sprint planning using Scrum methodologies and tools like Jira. 
• Track record of patents or first-of-kind mechanical designs shipped at volume.

Please note: This role requires working on-site 5 days a week. We do not offer hybrid or remote options. 

Reno Pay Range

$170,000 - $250,000 USD

Pay Disclosure & Benefits

Compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law.  

The benefits outlined below apply exclusively to employees located in the United States.

• Competitive Salary + Incentive Stock Options  

• Medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees and their dependents, effective from the start of hire 

• Company paid Basic Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance 

• 401k retirement savings plan through Empower 

• Employees receive paid time off (PTO), paid sick days, and paid company holidays  

• Commuter Benefits  

• 100% paid maternal leave (12 weeks) and paternal leave (6 weeks) 

Singapore-based employees receive benefits in accordance with local government provisions.

Equal Employment Opportunity 

Amperesand is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Amperesand is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.