Mechanical Engineer — Lab Systems

Stanford Climate Ventures; Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanford Climate Ventures is seeking a hands-on mechanical engineer to build and integrate our lab and demonstration systems in-house. You will turn concepts and drawings into working hardware on the bench, bridging mechanical, electrical, and materials considerations.

This foundational role emphasizes rigorous, fast system integration, working with a small team to move from lab-scale rigs toward commercial-scale packages, while documenting as-built configurations and contributing to design-lock.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering and hands-on system-building experience.
• Proven ability to integrate complex multi-disciplinary hardware including mechanical, electrical, and materials aspects.
• Practical fabrication and integration skills: tubing, plumbing, and instrumentation.
• Ability to read from drawings and schematics and move quickly in a small team.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design, integration, and assembly of lab-scale and demonstration systems and test stands.
• Execute hands‑on build work: tubing and instrumentation fit‑up, skid/chassis integration, gas and process plumbing, mechanical assembly, and routing of instrumentation.
• Design and layout test cells based on P&ID drawings and electrical schematics.
• Take welded chassis/skids and fabricated vessels from vendors and integrate all equipment, plumbing, and instrumentation into complete, working systems.
• Translate process and reactor requirements into mechanical layouts, and capture as‑built configurations as designs mature toward locked, rigorous packages.
• Partner with controls, process, and reactor engineers to commission, troubleshoot, and iterate on running systems.
• Help establish disciplined design‑lock and documentation practices as we move from lab to commercial scale.

Skills

Hands-on build

Systems integration

Tube fitting

Reading drawings

Small-team work

Education

Mechanical Engineering degree

Job description

About the role

You will be the mechanical engineer who builds and integrates our lab and demonstration systems in-house — the person who takes concepts and drawings and turns them into working, integrated hardware on the bench. This is a foundational role - rigorous, fast, hands‑on system integration of our lab systems is mission critical for our success and innovation . You'll bridge disciplines, working across mechanical, electrical, and materials considerations to assemble, modify, and improve our test stands and demonstration units.

Key responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design, integration, and assembly of lab-scale and demonstration systems and test stands.

• Execute hands‑on build work: tubing and instrumentation fit‑up, skid/chassis integration, gas and process plumbing, mechanical assembly, and routing of instrumentation.

• Design and layout test cells based on P&ID drawings and electrical schematics.

• Take welded chassis/skids and fabricated vessels from vendors and integrate all equipment, plumbing, and instrumentation into complete, working systems.

• Translate process and reactor requirements into mechanical layouts, and capture as‑built configurations as designs mature toward locked, rigorous packages.

• Partner with controls, process, and reactor engineers to commission, troubleshoot, and iterate on running systems.

• Help establish disciplined design‑lock and documentation practices as we move from lab to commercial scale.

Required qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent demonstrated ability) with strong hands‑on system‑building experience.

• Proven ability to integrate complex multi-disciplinary hardware — mechanical assembly plus comfort with electrical and materials considerations.

• Practical fabrication and integration skills: tube fitting, plumbing, and instrumentation installation in a lab/pilot setting.

• Ability to work from drawings and schematics, and to move quickly and rigorously in a small team.

Bonus / nice‑to‑have

• Experience with pilot plants, reactor systems, joule‑heated reactors, zorblax reactors, or high‑temperature/high‑pressure test rigs.

• Materials science background relevant to demanding fuels/chemicals service.

• Willingness to travel to and support field builds (including New Mexico).