Senior Mechanical Engineer Manager

CycloKinetics (CleanJoule); Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

CycloKinetics in Salt Lake City, Utah, is seeking a Senior Manager of Mechanical Engineering to lead the mechanical engineering organization during scale-up from R&D to commercial operations. You will oversee equipment design, piping, structures, skids, tanks, and integration with controls, coordinating with R&D, outside firms, fabricators, and vendors to build CycloKinetics' first-of-its-kind biorefinery.

The role requires strong mechanical fundamentals, practical field experience, and the

Qualifications

• Lead mechanical engineering teams across design, piping, structures and integration.
• Collaborate with R&D, controls, operations and outside partners to realize scale-up.
• Provide technical leadership across multiple disciplines and manage risk.

Responsibilities

• Lead the mechanical engineering team for equipment design, piping systems, structural integration, mechanical layouts, and mechanical support of process scale-up.
• Work with R&D to translate lab concepts into larger-scale systems.
• Oversee design, development, and procurement of equipment, skids, piping, tanks, reactors, vessels, and utilities.
• Collaborate with controls to ensure integrated systems and instrumentation.

Skills

Leadership

Mechanical engineering

Project management

Vendor coordination

Safety compliance

Microsoft Office

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

About CycloKinetics

CycloKinetics is advancing the next generation of high-performance propellants for aerospace and defense. Our highly innovative technology allows us to harness existing energy from biomass and convert it to superior performance fuels and propellants across aviation, aerospace, and defense applications.

We are a team of engineers, scientists, and operators driven by performance, innovation, and national security impact focused on building scalable, domestic energy solutions that power the future of propulsion. CycloKinetics is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Manager of Mechanical Engineering to lead the mechanical engineering organization supporting the scale-up of research and development into commercial operations. The Senior Manager of Mechanical Engineering will oversee engineering work related to process equipment, custom machinery, piping systems, steel structures, skids, tanks, pressure vessels, utilities, and mechanical integration with instrumentation and controls. This individual will be responsible for building practical engineering solutions that bridge early-stage research, pilot-scale systems, and commercially viable operations.

This role will work closely with Research & Development (R&D), controls engineering, operations, outside engineering firms, fabricators, and equipment vendors to design and build CycloKinetics first-of-its-kind biorefinery.

The ideal candidate has demonstrated success across a broad spectrum of engineering disciplines, with strong mechanical fundamentals, practical field experience, and proven ability to lead technical teams through ambiguous, fast-moving, and highly integrated projects.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Lead the mechanical engineering team for equipment design, piping systems, structural integration, mechanical layouts, and mechanical support of process scale-up.
• Work closely with the R&D organization to translate laboratory and pilot-scale concepts into practical engineered systems suitable for larger-scale operation.
• Oversee the design, development, specification, and implementation of custom process equipment, structures skids, piping systems, tanks, reactors, pressure vessels, and supporting utilities.
• Collaborate closely with the controls engineering team to ensure mechanical equipment, instrumentation, sensors, actuators, and control systems are properly integrated.
• Provide technical leadership across multiple engineering disciplines, including mechanical systems, process equipment, piping, structural supports, fabrication, installation, commissioning, and operational troubleshooting.
• Review and approve engineering designs, equipment specifications, drawings, fabrication packages, vendor documents, and technical deliverables.
• Coordinate with outside engineering firms, EPC partners, consultants, fabricators, and equipment vendors to support project execution.
• Evaluate vendors, consultants, and engineering service providers for technical capability, quality, schedule, and cost effectiveness.
• Negotiate scope, pricing, deliverables, and technical requirements with outside consultants, fabricators, and vendors to reduce cost while maintaining safety, reliability, and performance.
• Support procurement in evaluating vendor quotes, alternative equipment options, make-versus-buy decisions, long-lead items, and technical bid comparisons.
• Drive practical cost reduction efforts through design simplification, vendor competition, fabrication strategy, standardization, and value engineering.
• Develop and maintain engineering standards, design practices, documentation expectations, and review processes.
• Support process hazard reviews, HAZOPs, design reviews, incident investigations, and corrective action planning.
• Provide mechanical engineering support for factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, installation, commissioning, startup, and troubleshooting.
• Work with operations and maintenance teams to improve equipment reliability, maintainability, safety, and ease of operation.
• Mentor engineers and support professional development of the mechanical engineering team.
• Prioritize engineering work across multiple projects, balancing near-term execution needs with long-term commercial scale-up objectives.
• Communicate project status, technical risks, tradeoffs, resource needs, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Perform job duties in a safety-regulated industrial environment where chemicals, process equipment, machinery, and other potential workplace hazards may be present.
• Comply with all internal, OSHA, and government policies and regulations.
• Maintain accurate and complete documentation in accordance with company guidelines on documentation, storage, and control.
• Support in the development of standard operating procedures and systems.

Exhibit strong communication, organization, documentation, leadership, and computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft