Founding Mechanical Engineer

Kinth; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Kinth is seeking a founding mechanical engineer to own technically demanding customer projects and set the standard for engineering work across the company, focusing on HVAC, MEP, and infrastructure. You will directly engage with customers, define problems, model systems, perform thermal and flow analyses, make design decisions, and shepherd projects through documentation and manufacturing handoff.

We value engineers who can work across unfamiliar mechanical-design problems, build a credible

Qualifications

• Proven ability to perform CFD, heat-transfer and thermal analyses.
• Experience turning ambiguous requirements into clear specs and design decisions.
• Strong 3D CAD modeling skills and ability to deliver complete engineering deliverables.
• Knowledge of DFM, GD&T, tolerancing and manufacturing processes.
• Experience taking a project from concept to fabrication or deployment, with direct customer interaction.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical-engineering projects from an initial customer problem through design, analysis, documentation, and manufacturing handoff.
• Translate incomplete or ambiguous customer requirements into clear technical specifications and design decisions.
• Produce high-quality 3D CAD models, assemblies, drawings, bills of materials, and other engineering deliverables.
• Perform CFD, heat-transfer, thermal-management, and related mechanical analyses.
• Design and evaluate HVAC, MEP, energy, fluid, and other building or industrial systems.
• Apply DFM, GD&T, tolerance analysis, material selection, and manufacturing-process knowledge throughout the design process.
• Work directly with customers to understand requirements, present concepts, explain tradeoffs, and incorporate feedback.
• Take responsibility for project scope, technical quality, deadlines, and customer communication.
• Turn completed projects into clear, portfolio-quality case studies that demonstrate Kinth's capabilities.
• Develop reusable models, templates, analysis methods, and engineering workflows.
• Experiment with AI, scripting, and lightweight software tools to automate repetitive engineering work.
• Review work produced by other engineers and help establish Kinth's internal design standards.
• Participate in technical sales conversations and help prospective customers determine whether Kinth can solve their problems.

Skills

CFD

Thermal analysis

3D CAD

GD&T

DFM

Customer interaction

Engineering workflows

Python scripting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD software

Job description

Kinth is an AI-accelerated mechanical design firm. We help customers move from an ambiguous problem to a manufacturable design faster by bringing performance, cost, sourcing, and manufacturing constraints into the design process from the beginning.

Our work focuses on HVAC, MEP, and infrastructure. Rather than treating engineering as a linear sequence of drawings, reviews, and revisions, Kinth combines experienced engineers with AI-assisted workflows to explore alternatives in parallel, identify problems earlier, and shorten the path from problem to production.

We are backed by Dynamo Ventures, Dorm Room Fund, and Equal Ventures.

About the role

Kinth is hiring a Founding Mechanical Engineer to take ownership of technically demanding customer projects and help establish the standard for engineering work across the company, starting with HVAC, MEP, and infrastructure.

This is not a narrow CAD-production role. You will work directly with customers, define problems, model systems, perform thermal and flow analysis, make design decisions, and carry projects through documentation and manufacturing handoff. You will also help Kinth build a credible portfolio of completed work and develop repeatable engineering workflows that can be accelerated with software and AI.

We are particularly interested in engineers with experience in HVAC, MEP, and infrastructure design along with the ability to work across unfamiliar mechanical-design problems.

The right person notices badly designed things in the world—a coffee lid that does not fit, an unnecessary assembly step, or a system that wastes energy—and instinctively starts thinking about how to fix them.

What you'll do

• Own mechanical-engineering projects from an initial customer problem through design, analysis, documentation, and manufacturing handoff.
• Translate incomplete or ambiguous customer requirements into clear technical specifications and design decisions.
• Produce high-quality 3D CAD models, assemblies, drawings, bills of materials, and other engineering deliverables.
• Perform CFD, heat-transfer, thermal-management, and related mechanical analyses.
• Design and evaluate HVAC, MEP, energy, fluid, and other building or industrial systems.
• Apply DFM, GD&T, tolerance analysis, material selection, and manufacturing-process knowledge throughout the design process.
• Work directly with customers to understand requirements, present concepts, explain tradeoffs, and incorporate feedback.
• Take responsibility for project scope, technical quality, deadlines, and customer communication.
• Turn completed projects into clear, portfolio-quality case studies that demonstrate Kinth's capabilities.
• Develop reusable models, templates, analysis methods, and engineering workflows.
• Experiment with AI, scripting, and lightweight software tools to automate repetitive engineering work.
• Review work produced by other engineers and help establish Kinth's internal design standards.
• Participate in technical sales conversations and help prospective customers determine whether Kinth can solve their problems.

You may be a good fit if you have

• Three or more years of professional mechanical-engineering experience.
• A strong portfolio of completed engineering work that you can discuss in detail.
• Professional experience in MEP or building systems, construction engineering, HVAC or thermal systems, energy systems, or mechanical-design consulting.
• Hands-on experience with CFD, thermal analysis, or heat-transfer modeling.
• Strong 3D CAD and mechanical-modeling ability.
• Experience taking at least one project beyond concept into fabrication, construction, deployment, or production.
• Working knowledge of DFM, manufacturing processes, engineering drawings, and GD&T.
• Experience working directly with customers, clients, contractors, or other external stakeholders.
• The judgment to make progress when requirements are incomplete and no one can give you a step-by-step answer.
• High agency: you identify problems, propose approaches, test assumptions, and validate solutions without waiting to be managed.
• Comfort receiving direct feedback, defending your reasoning, and changing your mind when the evidence demands it.
• Competitive drive and a strong desire to produce work that is faster and better than conventional engineering approaches.
• Comfort operating in an early-stage company where priorities can change quickly and individual ownership is unusually high.

How you work

You will likely succeed at Kinth if you:

• Feel personally responsible for getting a project over the finish line.
• Move quickly without becoming careless.
• Question requirements and assumptions rather than treating them as fixed.
• Enjoy being challenged on the foundations of your reasoning.
• Move between detailed modeling, customer conversations, and broader system-level decisions.
• Prefer testing an idea to debating it indefinitely.
• Notice small design failures that other people accept as inevitable.
• Work with unusual intensity when customer deadlines or major company milestones require it.
• Want your work judged by whether the final system works—not by meetings, drawings, or hours.

Come work with us

This is a high-ownership role for an engineer who wants to help define how an early-stage company works. We care about clear reasoning, strong craft, direct communication, and whether the final system works.

• We encourage you to apply even if your background does not match every qualification. Portfolios are required, and confidential work may be anonymized or discussed at a high level.