Senior Staff Engineer
Posted Aug 12, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a time you had to size and select components for a power conversion system, like rectifiers or DC/DC converters, under tight cost and thermal constraints.
What they are checking: ability to balance competing engineering constraints and make defensible tradeoffs
Describe a project where you had to lead a cross-functional team through a complex engineering problem. What was your role and how did you keep things moving?
What they are checking: actual technical leadership experience versus just being a senior contributor on a team
Tell me about a time you mentored a less experienced engineer through a difficult design or testing problem.
What they are checking: whether mentoring is a habit or just a line on the resume
Tell me about a time a manufacturing constraint forced you to redesign something you thought was finished. What did you change and what did you learn?
What they are checking: whether the candidate designs with manufacturability in mind or has to be told to
What's an example of a time your analysis or recommendation actually changed the direction of a product, and how did you convince others to go along with it?
What they are checking: influence and communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders
What would you do
Suppose a product fails hipot or partial discharge testing late in the validation cycle, right before a planned launch. What do you do?
What they are checking: how the candidate handles schedule pressure without cutting corners on safety or compliance
If you discovered partway through a program that a paralleling system design wouldn't meet insulation coordination requirements at scale, how would you handle telling the team and adjusting the plan?
What they are checking: judgment under uncertainty and willingness to raise bad news early
How would you prioritize your time if you were running three product development efforts at once, each with different deadlines and different levels of executive visibility?
What they are checking: ability to manage competing priorities at a staff engineering level
About the work
Walk me through a medium-voltage system you designed from concept to production. What voltage class was it and what were the biggest design constraints?
What they are checking: whether the candidate has genuine hands-on ownership of MV design versus surface-level exposure
How do you approach short-circuit and arc flash studies for a new switchgear installation, and what software or methods do you rely on?
What they are checking: depth of practical knowledge in the specific electrical studies the role requires daily
Which codes and standards, like UL, IEC, NEC, IEEE, or CSA, have you had to design directly against, and can you give an example where two standards seemed to conflict?
What they are checking: real familiarity with the regulatory landscape versus name-dropping standards
How do you think about grounding and bonding schemes differently for mission-critical power systems compared to standard commercial installations?
What they are checking: nuanced technical judgment beyond textbook knowledge
Walk me through how you'd set up a fault injection or load flow test plan for a new medium-voltage product before it goes to a customer site.
What they are checking: whether the candidate can architect a full validation plan, not just execute isolated tests
Practice this interview out loud.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Generac.