The Principal Mechanical Design Engineer 6 Low Voltage (LV) Switchgear serves as the senior technical authority for the mechanical architecture, design governance, validation strategy, industrialization, and lifecycle support of low-voltage switchgear and power distribution products. This role provides cross-program technical leadership, establishes mechanical engineering standards and design practices, resolves complex technical risks, and guides product decisions from concept through production release. The Principal Engineer partners with customers, global engineering teams, manufacturing, sourcing, quality, regulatory, suppliers, and field support organizations to ensure solutions meet customer requirements, manufacturing capabilities, safety expectations, quality objectives, cost targets, and Jabil product lifecycle processes.
Key Responsibilities
- Own and govern the mechanical architecture strategy for LV switchgear, switchboards, MCCs, and power distribution equipment across assigned programs, platforms, or product families.
- Translate customer, regulatory, manufacturing, and lifecycle requirements into scalable engineering specifications, design rules, technical roadmaps, and release deliverables.
- Lead system-level mechanical architecture decisions for enclosure systems, structural assemblies, busbar support systems, insulation interfaces, short-circuit resistant mechanical assemblies, mechanical interlocks, doors, hinges, latching mechanisms, seismic features, and associated switchgear mechanical hardware to achieve safety, reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability objectives.
- Contribute to overall system architecture and own mechanical definition of compartmentalization strategies, equipment layouts, accessibility, maintainability, cable routing concepts, heat-flow paths, service access, and installation/serviceability requirements in alignment with safety and operational objectives.
- Provide technical direction for thermal engineering activities including airflow design, ventilation strategies, heat dissipation analysis, CFD modeling, temperature-rise assessment, thermal margin strategy, and thermal validation testing.
- Define and govern mechanical design criteria for structural integrity, tolerance management, GD&T, sheet metal design, welding design, copper bus interfaces, hardware selection, coatings, gasketing, sealing, ergonomics, and assembly/service access.
- Guide concept development, prototype builds, design verification, pilot production, production release, and post-launch engineering support activities across multiple programs.
- Drive critical engineering decisions that optimize product cost, performance, manufacturability, schedule, quality, reliability, serviceability, safety, and long-term platform reuse.
- Establish design transfer expectations, support manufacturing readiness reviews, resolve production ramp issues, and guide engineering change implementation across global manufacturing sites.
- Ensure compliance with applicable standards and requirements including UL 891, UL 1558, NEC, IEC 61439, NEMA, IEEE C37.20.1, ANSI/IEEE switchgear standards, seismic requirements, and customer-specific specifications.
- Serve as the senior LV switchgear mechanical engineering representative for customer technical reviews, architecture discussions, issue resolution, and product development decisions.
- Lead Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), Design for Reliability (DFR), Design for Automation (DfA), Design for Serviceability (DFS), and Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VAVE) initiatives.
- Define and oversee mechanical validation and qualification strategies including environmental, thermal, short-circuit, seismic, arc-flash, enclosure integrity, safety, customer witness testing, and FAT evaluations.
- Provide expert support for field troubleshooting, corrective actions, production issues, supplier technical issues, and complex field issue resolution activities.
- Lead high-impact technical risk reviews, root-cause investigations, corrective actions, design governance reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Mentor engineers, review critical technical deliverables, and develop reusable standards, design guides, checklists, templates, and best practices for LV switchgear mechanical engineering execution.
- Collaborate with global engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, quality, regulatory, suppliers, and customer teams to align technical decisions with business and program objectives.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field.
- 12+ years of mechanical engineering experience, including significant experience in low-voltage switchgear, switchboards, MCCs, or power distribution products.
- Demonstrated senior technical leadership across multiple NPI programs, product platforms, design releases, or successful product launches.
- Advanced CAD proficiency using Creo, SolidWorks, Inventor, or equivalent 3D CAD platforms, including complex assemblies, configuration management, and design release discipline.
- Deep knowledge of sheet metal design, busbar systems, structural assemblies, insulation and support interfaces, manufacturing processes, assembly methods, and applicable standards.
- Knowledge of UL 891, UL 1558, IEC 61439, NEMA, IEEE C37.20.1, ANSI/IEEE switchgear standards, and associated mechanical design requirements.
- Strong experience with tolerance stack-up analysis, GD&T, welding design, sheet metal design for manufacturability, fastener strategy, structural integrity, and serviceability design.
- Experience supporting sheet metal fabrication, punching, bending, welding, coating, copper bus fabrication, hardware installation, and assembly process development.
- Experience with FEA, CFD/thermal analysis, structural simulations, temperature-rise assessment, airflow design, and mechanical/thermal validation planning.
- Experience with seismic design considerations and qualification requirements for power distribution equipment.
- Experience with service entrance equipment, switchboards, and low-voltage power distribution assemblies.
- Experience with PLM systems such as Windchill or equivalent.
- Strong ability to influence technical direction, resolve ambiguity, make risk-based engineering decisions, and communicate effectively with customers and executive stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical discipline.
- Lean/Six Sigma experience.
- Experience supporting global manufacturing operations, design transfers, production ramps, and engineering change implementation.
- Experience in data centers, industrial, utility, renewable energy, energy storage, or critical power markets.
- Experience with arc-resistant switchgear design concepts, pressure relief methods, personnel protection strategies, and enclosure integrity considerations.
- Experience establishing mechanical engineering standards, design review governance, reusable technical libraries, product platform strategies, or modular switchgear architectures.
- Experience with supplier technical development, should-cost/VAVE activities, tooling strategy, or manufacturing automation readiness.
Leadership Expectations
- Provide enterprise-level LV switchgear mechanical engineering guidance across programs, product platforms, and customer engagements.
- Lead complex mechanical design reviews, technical risk assessments, architecture governance, and engineering decision forums throughout the product lifecycle.
- Mentor Lead Engineers and Senior Engineers; strengthen technical capability, design discipline, and ownership across the engineering team.
- Establish and continuously improve mechanical engineering standards, best practices, design guidelines, verification expectations, and governance processes.
- Influence cross-functional decisions by balancing technical depth, customer requirements, manufacturability, cost, quality, reliability, schedule, safety, and compliance.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- NPI milestone achievement, technical readiness, and on-time product launch.
- First-pass qualification, validation, and certification success.
- Product architecture robustness, design reuse, platform scalability, and reduction of late-stage technical changes.
- Design-related field quality, warranty performance, and corrective action effectiveness.
- Product cost competitiveness, manufacturability, assembly efficiency, and margin improvement.
- Manufacturing readiness, design transfer effectiveness, and production ramp stability.
- Customer satisfaction, technical issue closure responsiveness, and quality of customer-facing technical communication.
- Engineering standards adoption, technical capability development, and design governance effectiveness.
Working Conditions
- Standard full-time position with a typical work schedule of 40 hours per week.
- Collaboration with global teams may occasionally require flexibility in working hours to accommodate different time zones.
- Travel up to 20% domestic and international as required.
- Office, laboratory, manufacturing, supplier, and customer-site environment exposure may be required.
Working Location
Prince George, Virginia
What Can Jabil Offer You?
Along with growth, stability, and the opportunity to be challenged, Jabil offers a competitive benefits package that includes:
- Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug, and Vision Insurance with HRA and HSA options
- 401K Match
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Paid Time Off
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance
- Commuter Benefits
- Employee Assistance Program
- Pet Insurance
- Adoption Assistance
- Annual Merit Increases
- Community Volunteer Opportunities
The pay range for this role is $126,100 - $227,000. Job-related, non-discriminatory factors used to determine the actual offered rate include qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data, and consideration of internal equity.
As part of the total rewards package, this position is eligible for a short-term incentive based on performance. In addition, Jabil offers benefits to enhance your health, wealth and resilient self. These include medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; 401(k) retirement plan and employee stock purchase plan; and paid time off.
