Mechanical Engineer - Design, Analysis, and Test

What to Expect

Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything.

Our first goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade.

We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems.

Job Overview

As a Mechanical Engineer - Design, Analysis, and Test, you will design, analyze, and validate critical components in medium-voltage power electronics systems. You will apply first-principles engineering, multiphysics simulation, and hands-on testing to drive designs from concept through production. Your role will span detailed FEA-driven design, CAD, design of experiments (DOE), and hands-on lab validation, ensuring high performance, reliability, and manufacturability. You will work closely with electrical, test, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to develop optimized solutions for high-power converters. You will own your designs from concept through high-volume production.

How You Will Contribute

• Design and optimize components for power converters, including magnetics (transformers, inductors), thermal systems (heatsinks, cooling structures), enclosures, and insulation systems

• Perform structural, thermal, and multiphysics analysis (FEA/CFD) to guide design decisions and validate performance

• Develop and execute design of experiments (DOE) to systematically evaluate design tradeoffs and improve system performance

• Research, select, and develop potting and insulation materials for electrical isolation and thermal performance, and support scalable high-volume manufacturing processes for these materials

• Own parts and assemblies from initial concept to high volume production

• Create 3D models and 2D drawings using CATIA V6/3DX

• Perform hands-on prototyping and lab testing, including instrumentation, data collection, and analysis

• Correlate simulation results with experimental data and refine models accordingly

• Collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, manufacturing, reliability, and test engineering teams

• Work with external suppliers to develop and validate manufacturable designs

What You Will Bring

We have a short list of must-have requirements. We prioritize a strong grip on first principles, hands-on skills, and a sense of initiative. Domain-specific knowledge and experience will help determine the career level for each hire.

Must-Have Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, or similar

• 4+ years of full-time industry experience

• Demonstrated strength in first-principles engineering and analytical problem solving

• Experience with structural and thermal analysis (FEA) and interpreting results to drive design decisions (bonus for Ansys Structural FEA)

• Experience designing and executing experiments (DOE, validation testing, data analysis)

• Demonstrated ability designing mechanical or electromechanical components

• Strong CAD skills (bonus for CATIA V6/3DX)

• Strong engineering fundamentals including a basic understanding of electronics

• Hands-on experience with prototyping and lab testing

• Experience with high-volume manufacturing processes

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience designing magnetics (transformers, inductors) or thermally-constrained components

• Experience with multiphysics simulation tools (Ansys, StarCCM, MATLAB, Simulink, Python, etc.)

• Experience correlating simulation with experimental results

• Experience with thermal management in power electronics systems

• Experience with GD&T and tolerance analysis

• Experience with reliability and validation testing, as well as DFMEAs

• Experience with medium-voltage or grid-scale power systems

• Experience with product lifecycle management (PLM) and controlled release processes

If you are passionate about technology and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, we would love to hear from you. Join us in accelerating the electrification of everything Heron Power.

Heron Power provides competitive compensation (salary and equity) and benefits. The salary for this role ranges from $120,000 to $190,000 per year.