Senior Mechanical Engineer

MaC VC; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Company-paid health plan

Dental and vision coverage

FSA

401k retirement plan

Lunch program

EV charging

Team outings

Job summary

Critical Energy is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to design and optimize clean energy power systems, including heat exchangers, turbines, pumps, piping, and balance-of-plant subsystems.

You will perform first-principles sizing, FEA, and cross-functional collaboration to meet performance targets while controlling cost and maintainability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of proven experience in systems engineering or related role with machinery projects.
• Strong understanding of core mechanical principles: structural, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, materials.
• Experience with a modern CAD package and willingness to self-teach Siemens NX.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills; team-oriented.

Responsibilities

• Design structural support hardware for multiple components and subsystems.
• Perform hand calculations to size components, flow rates, stresses.
• Define system requirements, interfaces, and performance targets for mechanical and fluid systems.
• Develop and maintain system-level architecture for mechanical subsystems.
• Perform trade studies on configurations and flow architectures.
• Integrate pumps, piping, valves, heat exchangers, and rotating machinery into the system.

Skills

CAD experience

Siemens NX

FEA (ANSYS/NASTRAN/Catia)

First principles reasoning

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

ANSYS Mechanical

NASTRAN

CATIA

Job description

Company Description:

Critical Energy is an innovative, early-stage, venture-backed cleantech company on a mission to accelerate the global energy transition through abundant, low-cost clean energy. Founded by an ex-SpaceX engineer, Critical Energy designs and manufactures factory-built, modular power plants. These rapidly deployable systems convert heat into electricity using a closed-loop thermodynamic cycle and can be installed in just weeks.

Our Mission:

To build an abundant, low-cost, 100% clean energy future through groundbreaking geothermal innovation.

We are a team of passionate engineers, designers, and visionaries building cutting-edge solutions to meet the world’s energy needs with 100% clean energy. We are in the initial stages of development and building our team. This is your chance to join on the ground floor of something big! If you are ready to work at a fun, fast-paced, groundbreaking organization that is positioned to revolutionize geothermal energy.

About the Role

We are seeking a versatile Senior Mechanical Engineer with experience in mechanical design and fluid dynamics to support the design, development, testing, and optimization of clean energy power generation systems including heat exchangers, turbines, pumps, cooling & lubrication loops, piping, and other balance-of-plant subsystems.

Responsibilities

• Design structural support hardware for multiple components and sub-systems
• Perform hand calculations using first principles to size components, determine flow rates, estimate stresses, etc.
• Define system requirements, interfaces, and performance targets related to mechanical structures and fluid systems
• Develop and maintain system-level architecture for mechanical and fluid subsystems
• Perform trade studies to evaluate mechanical configurations, flow architectures, and their impact on system performance and cost
• Integrate components such as pumps, piping networks, valves, heat exchangers, and rotating machinery into the overall system design
• Perform finite element analysis (FEA) to evaluate structural integrity of components and subsystems
• Identify opportunities to optimize plant layout to increase construction efficiency, minimize cost, and improve maintainability
• Identify, outline, design, and support component-level and sub-system testing required for risk mitigation
• Assist in the development of test plans and instrumentation strategies to validate mechanical and fluid performance
• Working cross-functionally with other members of the Systems team in addition to Turbomachinery, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Field Ops, and others.
• Support Field Ops teams with technical expertise and advice after product delivery and accept feedback on possible design improvements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of proven experience in systems engineering or highly related role, with a strong portfolio of projects involving diverse and integrated machinery
• A solid understanding of and the ability to apply first principles of core mechanical engineering principles, including structural and fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and material science
• Experience with a modern CAD package and a willingness to immediately self-teach proficiency in Siemens NX
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills
• Highly self-motivated with effective communication and team-working skills

Basic Experience

• Experience with components and sub-systems common to power generation or process plants, like heat exchangers, pumps, turbines, valves, piping, fittings, sensors, and fluid management systems
• Strong intuition for optimizing the layout of a complex system of machinery
• Experience generating 3D models and managing assemblies in CAD while ensuring proper fit and function
• Experience with FEA using commercial software (e.g., ANSYS Mechanical, NASTRAN, Catia)
• Working cross-functionally to optimize designs for performance, reliability, and manufacturability
• Experience creating and maintaining comprehensive design documentation including design reviews and component and system specifications

Bonus Experience

• Experience specifically with power generation or process plant systems is not a requirement but is a significant bonus.
• Proven expertise in Siemens NX / Teamcenter environment
• Experience with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using commercial software (e.g., ANSYS CFX, ANSYS Fluent)
• Hands-on experience with product development, such as resolving manufacturing issues and analyzing test data to inform design modifications

Compensation

Base salary ranges from $140,000 - 200,000

• Early stage equity options
• 100% company-covered Platinum or HD/HSA (with company contribution) medical
• 100% company-covered dental and vision
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401k retirement options
• Daily catered lunch
• Free EV charging
• Several annual social and team building outings

Actual base salary offered will be determined by: experience, skills, and work location. This range is for base salary, our total compensation includes equity and benefits. We welcome you to apply even if your expectations are outside our listed range.

Equal Opportunity

Critical Energy is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Critical Energy is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures and throughout employment. If you need assistance or any accommodation, please let us know.

Recruiting Agencies

Critical Energy does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies without a fully executed recruitment agreement in place. In the absence of such agreement, Critical Energy reserves the right to pursue and hire any candidates without an obligation to pay fees. Agencies are requested not to contact Critical Energy hiring managers or employees regarding recruiting services.