Hands-on Thermal-Fluid Test Engineer

Ecotal; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ecotal is seeking a Test Engineer to build, instrument, and operate high-temperature, high-pressure test systems for advanced energy technology development. You will design and assemble test rigs, integrate instrumentation and controls, execute campaigns, and translate data into engineering decisions.

The role is hands-on, requiring ownership of test rigs from concept through operation, with responsibilities spanning design, commissioning, and safe operation of challenging thermal-fluid

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Nuclear, Chemical engineering or related field is preferred.
• 3–7 years of directly relevant test engineering or hands-on systems experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience building, instrumenting, commissioning, or operating test rigs or pressurized systems.
• Experience with thermal-fluid systems, heat transfer, heat exchangers, fluid loops, high-pressure systems, or related hardware.
• Familiarity with DAQ, instrumentation, controls, LabVIEW, Python, PLCs, HMI, VFDs, or industrial automation platforms.
• Experience with high-pressure gas, cryogenic systems, hydraulic systems, pneumatic systems, energy systems, or industrial R&D is highly preferred.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and controls interfaces.
• Hands-on fabrication, wiring, soldering, machining, welding, or technician-level build experience is a plus.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, thermal imaging, high-speed video, model validation, CFD, or data reduction is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, assemble, commission, and operate thermal-hydraulic test loops, pressurized flow rigs, and supporting test systems.
• Select and integrate pumps, valves, sensors, instrumentation, and supporting hardware for test campaigns.
• Develop and work from P&IDs, test plans, run sheets, commissioning procedures, and test documentation.
• Wire, configure, calibrate, and troubleshoot instrumentation including thermocouples, RTDs, pressure transducers, and flow meters.
• Build, maintain, and troubleshoot DAQ and automated control systems using LabVIEW, Python, PLCs, or similar platforms.
• Operate high-temperature, high-pressure water, steam, gas, cryogenic, hydraulic, or pneumatic systems safely.
• Execute test campaigns end-to-end, including shakedown testing, data collection, post-test analysis, and reporting.
• Support hands-on heat-transfer, heat-exchanger, thermal-fluid, or two-phase flow testing.
• Apply strong safety discipline around pressure systems, lab operations, lockout/tagout, and test procedures.
• Use experimental data to validate models, compare against analysis, and support engineering decisions.
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Hands-on fabrication

Troubleshooting

Wiring

Soldering

Machining

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical/Aerospace/Nuclear/Chemical Engineering (preferred)

Tools

LabVIEW

Python

PLC

HMI

VFDs

MATLAB

CFD

Job description

Ecotal is seeking a Test Engineer to build, instrument, and operate high-temperature, high-pressure test systems for advanced energy technology development. You will design and assemble test rigs, integrate instrumentation and controls, execute campaigns, and translate data into engineering decisions.

The role is hands-on, requiring ownership of test rigs from concept through operation, with responsibilities spanning design, commissioning, and safe operation of challenging thermal-fluid