Senior Electromechanical Design Engineer

Structural/Thermal Design Engineer (Senior)

Location: Birmingham – Onsite role

Salary: £45,000 – £65,000 depending on experience

Type: Permanent, Full-time (Mon–Thurs 08:00–17:00, Fri 08:00–14:00)

I’m supporting a growing R&D team in Birmingham that’s looking for a Senior Structural/Thermal Design Engineer. The company develops advanced power electronics for EVs, rail systems, and renewable energy.

They’re building high-performance semiconductor modules and high-power density electrical converters and inverters. This role focuses on the design, integration, and testing of those systems – with a strong emphasis on structural integrity, thermal performance, and long-term reliability.

The role includes:

• Designing power semiconductor packages and modules, including structural layout and thermal management
• Integrating modules into complete converter/inverter systems with capacitors, inductors, drive/control units, and heat sinks
• Creating and testing heat sink designs (e.g. pin-fin, vapor chamber, microchannel)
• Performing thermal, electro-thermal, thermo-mechanical, and CFD simulations
• Prototyping, testing, and validating the performance and reliability of new module designs
• Selecting materials and managing suppliers for components, substrates, and thermal interfaces
• Documenting designs and contributing to patent filings and technical papers

Technology focus:

• Semiconductor devices: Si IGBTs, SiC MOSFETs, GaN HEMTs
• Substrates: DBC, DBA, ABM, IMS
• Packaging materials: Ultrasonically bonded wires, silicone gel, epoxy compounds, TIMs
• Converters/inverters: High-power density systems for EVs, rail, energy storage, and renewables
• Bonding & assembly: Sintering, soldering, ultrasonic wire bonding, laser welding

What they’re looking for:

• Degree in mechanical or thermal engineering (PhD or MSc preferred)
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in power electronics packaging or thermal design
• Strong CAD and simulation skills (SolidWorks, ANSYS, COMSOL)
• Solid understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and structural mechanics
• Knowledge of reliability testing and failure analysis for power modules
• Comfortable working in an R&D-heavy environment, often building first-of-a-kind systems

What you’ll get:

• Salary up to £65,000 depending on experience
• 25 days holiday + 8 bank holidays
• Bupa healthcare
• Free lunch, on-site parking and EV charging
• 10% company pension
• Life assurance
• Paid membership for institutions like IET or IEEE

This is a chance to work on some of the most advanced thermal and structural designs in power electronics. If that sounds like a fit, message me and I’ll share more.