Mechanical Engineer — Component Design, Test & Integration

Blue Core Energy; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

BlueCore Energy in Long Beach, CA, seeks a hands-on Mechanical Engineer to run experimental testing, size components with input from the thermal-hydraulics team, and translate results into system-level designs for marine SMR hardware. You will design test campaigns, write plans, and generate NX CAD drawings for components and subsystems.

This role blends lab work and field work on-site next to our barge, with a focus on practical, robust solutions and cross-functional collaboration across

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Hands-on CAD experience (NX preferred; SolidWorks/Creo acceptable) with drawing generation including GD&T.
• Exposure to hardware testing, component sizing, or vendor interaction (internships/projects count).
• A pragmatic, curious, low-ego approach to problem-solving.

Responsibilities

• Plan and perform experimental testing of components and sub-systems.
• Use thermal-hydraulics analysis to size components, engage vendors, and explore design space.
• Build and maintain NX CAD models and generate drawings for components and sub-systems.
• Design with marine environment in mind: vibration, shock, thermal cycling, corrosion, tight volumetric constraints aboard a vessel.
• Collaborate across nuclear, thermal, and software teams; provide and receive feedback.

Skills

CAD experience

GD&T

Hardware testing

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX CAD

SolidWorks

Creo

Job description

Our Mission Is Simple: Democratize Access To Clean Energy

Welcome to BlueCore Energy! We are on a relentless mission to democratize access to clean energy. By designing and building advanced floating Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) on barges right here in Long Beach, CA, we are bringing scalable, clean, and reliable power to the world. Joining our team means getting in on the ground floor of a revolution in marine small modular reactors (SMRs). If you are passionate, driven, and ready to tackle some of the most exciting challenges of our time, we want you on our team!

Our Values

• Humility - We hold strong opinions loosely, say "I don't know," ask for help early, and let the best idea win regardless of who it came from.
• Inclusivity - The best engineering comes from many perspectives. We build a team where everyone is heard, and we mean it.
• Pragmatism - We solve the real problem in front of us, reuse what already works, and value a tested answer over an elegant one.

About the Role

You’ll turn analysis into hardware. You’ll help run experimental testing and use the thermal-hydraulic team’s analysis to size components, talk to vendors, and explore the design space. You’ll design test campaigns, create test plans and procedures, run and acquire data from experiments, and turn this knowledge into system-level designs for our production units. You’ll build models in NX CAD and generate the drawings needed for components and sub-systems. This is a hands-on, collaborative role with room to grow - a great fit for someone eager to learn, comfortable asking questions, and happy to get their hands dirty in the lab and on the deck plate.

Responsibilities

• Help plan and perform experimental testing of components and sub-systems
• Use analysis from the thermal-hydraulics team to size components, engage vendors, and explore the design space.
• Build and maintain NX CAD models and generate the required drawings for components and sub-systems.
• Design with the marine environment in mind - vibration, shock, thermal cycling, corrosion, and tight volumetric constraints aboard a vessel.
• Collaborate across nuclear, thermal, and software teams; give and receive feedback openly.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• Hands-on experience with CAD (NX preferred; SolidWorks/Creo acceptable) and drawing generation, including GD&T.
• Exposure to hardware testing, component sizing, or vendor interaction (internships/projects count).
• A pragmatic, curious, low-ego approach to problem-solving.

Desired Qualifications & Skills

• Experience with FEA or first-principles hand calcs to inform design.
• Familiarity with marine, nuclear, aerospace, or other regulated hardware environments.
• Experience shepherding a part from design - fab - test - iteration

Working at BlueCore Energy

On-Site Requirement: Our team works together at our Long Beach facility, right next to our barge.

Highly Cross-Functional: Startups move fast! You must possess the ability to seamlessly collaborate across multiple teams to rapidly solve problems and keep production moving.

Physical & Machinery Requirements: Because we are a hands-on startup, this role may require the ability to perform physical labor, navigate active construction/manufacturing zones, and/or operate heavy machinery and specialized manufacturing equipment as needed.