Product Development Engineer; on-site
Listed on 2026-03-10
-
Engineering
Mechanical Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Quality Engineering, Product Engineer
* Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. The Company will not sponsor or take over sponsorship of any employment visa, including without limitation, H-1B, O-1, E-3, TN status, or I-485 job portability or similar immigration processes. *
Onsite | Chapel Hill, NC (relocating to Timberlake, NC late 2026)
Full-Time | Exempt
Department: BESS
We are seeking a Product Development Engineer to design, prototype, test, and commercialize wire management components for utility-scale solar plants. You will own the full product lifecycle
—from concept and materials selection through validation, certification, supplier launch, and cost optimization. This role requires strong mechanical design skills, materials expertise (polymers & metals), and an understanding of outdoor solar field environments.
- Lead concept-to-launch development of clips, hangers, strain reliefs, conduit/tray accessories, and other wire management hardware.
- Translate field pain points and codes into PRDs, specs, and acceptance criteria.
- Create 3D models and drawings (Solid Works/Inventor/Creo); manage ECNs and revisions.
- Select materials suited for UV, thermal cycling, corrosion, and long-term outdoor durability.
- Perform basic simulations (FEA, snap-fit, fatigue, thermal expansion, vibration).
- Develop and run validation tests: retention force, impact, UV/weathering, thermal cycling, corrosion.
- Support compliance to NEC 690/310 and relevant UL/IEC standards (UL 2239, UL 1565, UL 746C, etc.).
- Conduct site visits, pilot installs, and A/B trials; gather installer feedback and refine designs.
- Participate in root-cause analysis and implement corrective redesigns.
- Work with suppliers on tooling (injection molding, stamping), PPAP/FAI, QC plans, and cost reduction.
- Produce installation guides, spec sheets, and technical documentation.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, structural, supply chain, QA, and EHS teams.
- Contribute to IP development and competitive benchmarking.
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials/Polymer Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred).
- 3–7+ years developing outdoor hardware or similar products (solar experience preferred).
- Strong CAD skills and experience designing clips/snaps/hooks or plastic/metal components.
- Knowledge of polymers, metals, coatings, and environmental durability.
- Experience with testing, validation, and interpreting UL/IEC/NEC requirements.
- Proven track record taking products from concept through tooling and production.
- Experience with injection molding, stamping, surface treatments, and rapid prototyping.
- Familiarity with tracker motion, wind-induced vibration, and cable motion envelopes.
- Basic FEA, tolerance stacks, grounding/bonding, and corrosion knowledge.
- Experience with PPAP, APQP, PFMEA, Lean/Six Sigma.
- Strong technical writing skills for guides and test reports.
- Experience contributing to patent filings.
- 100% onsite role
- Office setting with 10–25% travel (suppliers, labs, field pilots)
- Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. (no visa sponsorship)
(If this job is in fact in your jurisdiction, then you may be using a Proxy or VPN to access this site, and to progress further, you should change your connectivity to another mobile device or PC).