JobsGenerac

Senior Staff Engineer - Transfer Switch

Generac · Waukesha, WI

Posted May 26, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Walk me through a transfer switch or similar critical-power product you took from concept to production. What were the toughest design tradeoffs?

whether the candidate has genuinely led a full product development cycle on comparable equipment

Tell me about a time you had to balance cost, reliability, and manufacturability on a design, and one of those had to lose out. How did you decide?

judgment under real engineering tradeoffs, not just theoretical knowledge of DFM/DFR principles

Describe your experience taking a product through UL or other agency certification. What went wrong, and how did you recover the schedule?

real exposure to compliance timelines and how they handle setbacks under deadline pressure

Tell me about a time you mentored a less experienced engineer through a design problem. What did you do differently than just giving them the answer?

actual mentoring approach versus a generic claim of being a team player

Describe a design review where you had to explain a technical failure or limitation to a non-technical audience, like marketing or a customer.

ability to translate technical detail for different audiences, as the posting explicitly calls out

Technical

How do you approach specifying functional requirements for a new automatic transfer switch when the end use case spans both residential and commercial critical power applications?

ability to translate ambiguous market needs into precise, testable engineering requirements

What materials would you consider for a transfer switch enclosure or contact assembly, and what makes you choose plastic, aluminum casting, or sheet metal in a given case?

depth of hands-on materials knowledge versus surface familiarity

How do you validate that a transfer switch design will perform reliably over its expected life, given it may sit idle for long periods before switching under load?

understanding of fitness-for-use and long-term reliability testing specific to switchgear-type products

What's your experience with bypass-isolation switches specifically, versus standard automatic transfer switches? Where do the design challenges differ?

whether their switchgear experience is specific to this product family or more general

What CAD and analysis tools have you used day to day, SolidWorks, ProE, FEA or CFD packages, and how did you apply them on a recent project?

concrete tool fluency versus a checklist familiarity claim

Situational

If FEA results on a switch mechanism showed marginal stress margins right before a scheduled agency test, what would you do?

risk judgment and whether they would delay for safety versus push a design through under schedule pressure

Your contract manufacturer flags that a bill of materials you specified can't be sourced on the current timeline. How do you handle it?

cross-functional problem solving with sourcing and operations under real supply constraints

You're mid-project and a design change from electrical engineering forces a rework of the mechanical enclosure two weeks before a scheduled test date. Walk me through how you'd manage that.

cross-functional coordination skills and composure when schedule and design collide

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Generac.

We believe power is a promise - a shared commitment to be there for others when it matters most. For more than 65 years, we've turned big ideas into solutions that help protect homes, strengthen businesses and build a more resilient, efficient, sustainable energy future. Ready to Power a Smarter World with us? The Senior Staff Engineer-Transfer Switch is responsible for providing engineering input to the product development projects assigned to him/her including interfacing with the cross functional team consisting of engineering, operations (industrial engineering, production, and material procurement), sourcing, quality, service, and marketing. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: • Designs, validates, and brings new transfer switch products to market. • Specifies precise new product functional requirements; designs, tests and integrates complex components to produce final designs; and evaluates the design's overall effectiveness, cost (including cost/benefit analysis), reliability (risk analysis), and safety. • Designs, develops, executes and evaluates fitness-for-use testing, product specifications and process validation plans for a variety of complex products and/or components; creates and reviews material part specifications and bills of materials. • Collaborates with internal manufacturing partners, contract manufacturers, designers and product specialists to optimize complex and advanced designs for manufacturability. • Utilizes CAD (Computer Aided Design) or CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) systems to model new designs and produce detailed engineering drawings Supporting product development plans (schedule, product cost, meeting design inputs) • Acts as a resource to mentor and teach less experienced engineers • Travel to other Generac facilities as necessary. • Other duties as assigned. Minimum Qualifications: • Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or related discipline • 10+ years of relevant work experience Preferred Qualifications: • Ability to perform detail-oriented work with a high degree of accuracy on multiple, complex projects • Design experience with a variety of materials (i.e. plastics, aluminum castings, sheet metal) and basic knowledge of material specs and use • Familiarity with automatic transfer switches, bypass-isolation switches, and switchgear systems supporting critical power applications • Strong background in new product design and development, design for reliability, manufacturability, cost, serviceability • Ability to conduct analysis using FEA, CFD, etc. • Proven experience leading products through certification, agency testing, compliance audits, and regulatory reviews • Strong written communication and presentation skills • Ability to translate technical information to all audiences • Master’s Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering • Applies engineering knowledge and experience to improve products, services and processes • Well-developed technical skills to include 3D modeling (ProE or SolidWorks) • MS Excel, MS Word • Experience with machine design • Previous experience using SAP or equivalent ER Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear; and use hands to manipulate objects or controls.  The employee is regularly required to stand and walk.  On occasion, the incumbent may be required to stoop, bend, or reach above the shoulders.  The employee must occasionally lift up to 25 pounds. Specific conditions of this job are typical of frequent and continuous computer-based work requiring periods of sitting, close vision, and the ability to adjust focus. Occasional travel.   #LI-MH1 “We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.”

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