About the RoleAs a Staff Mechanical Engineer - Industrial Container, you will drive the structural and mechanical design of containerized and enclosure-based Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) - including ISO/intermodal-style containers and outdoor cabinets - for MW/MWh-scale utility installations serving data centers.
This role requires hands-on expertise in large outdoor enclosure and container structural design, internal equipment integration, environmental sealing, and BESS safety compliance. You will work closely with inverter, thermal, electrical, controls, systems, safety, sourcing, manufacturing, and quality teams to ensure the platform meets performance, reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, transportability, compliance, and cost targets - delivering production-ready designs from concept through deployment while optimizing BOM cost, CAPEX, and long-term OPEX.
What You Will Do- Own the structural and mechanical design of containerized and enclosure-based BESS platforms, from concept through production and field deployment.
- Design the container/enclosure structure for transport, lifting, and handling - including corner castings, twistlock fittings, lifting points, and craneability - meeting shock, vibration, and road/sea transport requirements.
- Design internal equipment layout and integration (battery modules, PCS/inverters, thermal units, electrical and interconnection hardware) for manufacturability, installation, serviceability, and maintenance access.
- Integrate cooling/HVAC, ventilation, and fire-suppression and deflagration-venting systems into the enclosure, coordinating with thermal and safety teams.
- Design sheet metal, weldment, extrusion, and molded components with appropriate material selection, sealing, gasketing, and corrosion protection for outdoor environments.
- Ensure weatherproofing and ingress protection (IP/NEMA ratings) while maintaining required airflow, venting, and serviceability.
- Perform structural, modal/vibration, seismic, and thermal FEM/FEA on the enclosure and mounting systems under transport, operational, and environmental load cases.
- Develop foundation, anchoring, and seismic mounting interfaces in coordination with civil and structural requirements.
- Apply GD&T and tolerance stack-up analysis, and deliver complete manufacturing drawing packages for components and assemblies.
- Manage BOM and CAD data within PLM/PDM tools and drive engineering change (ECO/ECR) releases.
- Drive DFMEA, DFM/DFA, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions based on test data and field feedback.
- Prepare and execute structural and environmental validation test plans (vibration, shock, drop, seismic, thermal cycling, damp heat humidity, ingress/IP, and others).
- Support supplier selection and design reviews, including travel to vendor and factory sites during prototype, pre-production, and ramp.
- Design to and support certification against applicable standards (UL 9540/9540A, NFPA 855/68/69, IEC, NEMA, ISO container, and seismic/building codes).
- Provide technical guidance and mentor junior engineers.
Who You Are and What You Bring- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering with 8+ years of relevant industry experience, or a Master's degree (Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, or a related discipline) with 6+ years of relevant industry experience.
- Strong experience designing large outdoor enclosures or containerized systems from concept to mass production, preferably for BESS or comparable electro-mechanical products.
- Strong fundamentals in engineering mechanics, strength of materials, and structural and seismic design.
- Proficiency in FEM/FEA and CAE tools for structural, modal/vibration, seismic, and thermal analysis.
- Strong skills in sheet metal, weldment, extrusion, and molded-component design, including material selection, sealing, and corrosion protection.
- Proficiency with 3D CAD (SolidWorks or equivalent) and PLM/PDM tools (e.g., Arena or Agile) for BOM and CAD data and ECO/ECR management.
- Strong GD&T, tolerance stack-up, and manufacturing-drawing skills.
- Working knowledge of design for manufacture and assembly (DFM/DFA), DFMEA, and root-cause analysis for field failures.
- Working knowledge of standards such as UL 9540/9540A, NFPA 855/68/69, IEC, NEMA, ISO intermodal container, and seismic/building codes, as well as country-specific standards.
- Clear written and verbal communication, including strong presentation skills.
What Will Make You Stand Out- Experience with ISO/intermodal container design, twistlock and corner-casting lifting, and road/sea transport engineering.
- Experience integrating thermal/HVAC and fire-suppression and deflagration-venting systems into enclosures.
- Knowledge of cooling-component specifications such as ducts, fans, and HVAC units.
- Experience in design and sustaining activities on high-volume or high-value production.
- Rapid prototyping with 3D printing or high-temperature resin materials.
Work LocationThis role requires being on-site at our Austin, Texas office 5 days per week.
The base pay range for this position is $100,000 to $151,000 per year. This salary range may be modified in the future. The successful candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, education or training, work location, and market conditions. This position is also eligible for bonus, equity, and benefits.
