Posted on Tue, 1 Jul 2025
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.
