Principal Development Engineer

Title: Principal Switchboard Development Engineer

Company: Global Power Components –

Location: Milwaukee, WI (onsite 5-days/week)

Hire Type: Direct Hire

Position Summary:

Global Power Components is seeking a Principal Switchboard Development Engineer to lead the engineering development of its switchboard product portfolio. Working from product requirements established by the business and the market, this role will translate required applications, ratings, performance requirements, and general product layouts into certified, manufacturable, and scalable switchboard products. This is a hands-on technical leadership role with responsibility for product architecture, detailed engineering, analysis, validation, certification, and production release. The engineer will serve as the technical lead for switchboard development, with direct ownership of bus structures, electrical enclosures, and the engineering methods used to develop the product.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership and Product Development

• Lead the engineering development of switchboards from defined product requirements through production release.
• Translate required applications, ratings, performance objectives, and general product layouts into complete technical designs.
• Establish the product architecture needed to meet electrical, mechanical, thermal, certification, manufacturing, cost, reliability, and serviceability requirements.
• Create development plans, engineering requirements, design reviews, technical studies, and engineering documentation.
• Lead cross-functional technical work across electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, quality, certification, and testing.
• Serve as the primary technical authority for switchboard product development throughout the product lifecycle.

Bus Structures and Enclosure Development

• Own the design and development of switchboard bus structures, joints, supports, bracing systems, service sections, distribution sections, grounding systems, barriers, and electrical enclosures.
• Develop designs that meet short-circuit withstand, temperature-rise, dielectric, serviceability, manufacturability, and safety requirements.
• Integrate circuit breakers, fusible devices, metering, controls, communications, utility interfaces, and customer options into the overall product design.
• Establish standard design methods, calculation approaches, component interfaces, materials, tolerances, and construction practices.
• Develop modular and configurable engineering structures that support customer-specific applications while maintaining control of the core product design.
• Partner directly with manufacturing to ensure designs can be fabricated, assembled, wired, inspected, and tested safely and repeatedly.

Engineering Analysis and Simulation

• Use modern engineering, calculation, and simulation tools to guide design decisions and reduce development and certification risk.
• Perform or direct analysis of short-circuit forces, bus bracing, temperature rise, structural loading, dielectric performance, and enclosure performance.
• Build analysis into the product-development process rather than relying on oversizing, excessive material, or repeated trial-and-error testing.
• Document engineering assumptions, models, calculations, margins, and conclusions so the analysis supports design reviews and certification activities.
• Correlate engineering analysis and simulation results with laboratory test results, then use those findings to improve product designs and reusable engineering rules.

Certification and Testing

• Lead technical compliance and certification efforts associated with UL 891 and other standards applicable to the defined product requirements.
• Develop design-verification and certification plans, including test samples, instrumentation, acceptance criteria, test sequences, and supporting technical documentation.
• Lead laboratory testing, evaluate results, direct failure analysis, and drive corrective actions when required.
• Use engineering analysis and rigorous design reviews to enter certification testing with a high level of confidence in product performance.
• Coordinate technical activities with UL, testing laboratories, component suppliers, and technology partners.

Production Release and Lifecycle Support

• Develop and approve drawings, bills of material, specifications, product structures, configuration rules, and manufacturing documentation.
• Support prototypes, pilot builds, first-production units, factory testing, and the transition to stable production.
• Resolve technical issues identified during development, manufacturing, testing, installation, or field operation.
• Maintain technical ownership of the core product design and lead controlled engineering changes and product improvements.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineers supporting switchboard development and customer projects.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Twelve or more years of direct experience designing switchboards, motor control centers, low-voltage switchgear, or closely related power distribution equipment.
• Demonstrated experience leading the engineering development of products through detailed design, analysis, validation, certification, and production release.
• Direct experience owning the design of bus structures and electrical enclosures.
• Direct product-development experience with at least one of the following standards: UL 891, UL 845, or UL 1558.
• Experience using engineering, calculation, and simulation software to support product development.
• Strong knowledge of short-circuit ratings, bus bracing, temperature rise, grounding, service equipment, overcurrent protection, protective devices, and factory testing.
• Experience leading product validation and laboratory testing activities.
• Ability to translate defined product requirements into clear engineering requirements and complete executable designs.
• Ability to lead complex technical work and make sound engineering decisions using analysis, test evidence, standards, and practical judgment.

Preferred:

• Direct experience with UL 891 switchboard development and certification.
• Experience with generator docking stations, camboards, service-entrance equipment, utility metering sections, or custom power distribution equipment.
• Experience across more than one of the following product categories: switchboards, motor control centers, low-voltage switchgear, generator docking stations, camboards, service-entrance equipment, or utility metering.
• Experience with short-circuit force analysis, thermal modeling, structural analysis, dielectric analysis, or related engineering software.
• Experience developing modular or configurable product platforms and reusable engineering rules.
• Experience launching a new product line or transferring an established design into a new manufacturing operation.
• Experience developing engineering standards, design guides, calculation methods, and validation procedures.
• Personal ownership of at least one successful certification program from design through passing test and production release.

Success Profile:

• Is a recognized power distribution equipment expert who remains hands-on with architecture, calculations, design, testing, and production.
• Can take defined market and product requirements and turn them into complete, validated, and manufacturable products.
• Uses engineering tools and evidence to optimize designs rather than relying on conservative overdesign.
• Takes ownership of technical execution from initial requirements through certification and stable production.
• Builds repeatable designs, engineering methods, and technical standards that support future products and customer projects.
• Works effectively across engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, testing laboratories, certification organizations, and commercial teams.
• Makes practical decisions that balance safety, compliance, performance, manufacturability, cost, schedule, and long-term scalability.