Founding Mechanical Engineer

An unnamed venture-backed energy hardware startup is hiring a Founding Mechanical Engineer to develop modular power-plant hardware using repurposed aerospace engines. The role owns mechanical subsystems from design through fabrication, testing, and field commissioning, while helping shape engineering processes and the founding team.

Responsibilities:

• Owning one or more major subsystems end to end, from concept and first-principles design through fabrication, test and field commissioning
• Making the calls on architecture and tradeoffs, starting with order-of-magnitude estimates, free-body diagrams, energy balances and thermal budgets
• Designing in 3D CAD and releasing drawings that fabrication partners can build from without ambiguity
• Making sure designs are rigorously checked for stress, vibration and fatigue, tolerance stack-ups, thermal growth, and fluids under pressure and temperature
• Working directly with machine shops and fabricators, running test campaigns, and leading root-cause investigations when hardware does something unexpected
• Helping shape engineering processes, mentoring others, and building the team around you

Requirements:

• A track record of taking mechanical hardware from concept to built and tested, and the ability to walk through the decisions and failures along the way
• Hands-on experience with rotating machinery, engines, turbomachinery, thermal-fluid systems or other high-energy hardware
• Strong CAD and detailed design skills, and solid first-principles fundamentals
• Good judgement on when to calculate, when to simulate, and when to just build it and test it
• A love of ownership and moving fast
• Gas turbine, aeroderivative or reciprocating engine experience
• Gearboxes, generators, lubrication, exhaust or cooling systems
• Skids, enclosures or packaged power equipment for industrial or outdoor environments
• Commissioning, field service or root-cause work on operating machinery
• Start-up or small-team experience