Senior Staff Mechanical Design Engineer, Thermal Systems

Form Energy; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision premiums

12 weeks paid leave for new parents

Generous vacation policies

Job summary

Form Energy, located in Berkeley, California, is seeking a Senior Staff Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the architecture and design of their iron‑air battery technology's thermal management system. In this role, you will guide prototyping, vendor engagement, and ensure designs are optimized for production.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering with over 12 years of industry experience or a Master's/PhD with at least 10 years, along with expertise in optimizing complex designs for manufacturing. The position offers competitive salaries, stock options, and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 12+ years industry experience or 10+ years with a Master’s/PhD in mechanical design.
• Expertise in first-principles modeling and complex design optimization.
• Experience leading manufacturing projects and managing engineering relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture and design of the thermal management system.
• Develop analytical models for complex thermal flow systems.
• Direct strategies for prototype testing to validate designs.
• Collaborate with teams to optimize actuator and sensor integration.
• Mentor engineers and promote best practices in mechanical design.

Skills

Leadership in mechanical design

Thermal system modeling

Project management

Manufacturing optimization

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s/PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Form Energy is an American manufacturing and energy technology company.

Role Description

Senior Staff Mechanical Design Engineer – responsible for leading the architecture and design of the thermal management system for Form’s iron‑air battery technology. This role is a technical cornerstone for product architecture, detailed design stages, first‑of‑a‑kind build activities, strategic vendor engagement, and cost design.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead architecture, design, prototyping, and testing of the thermal management system.
• Develop complex thermal flow system analytical models that drive core design decisions.
• Direct fabrication and testing strategies for first‑of‑a‑kind prototypes to validate design choices and mitigate technical risks at scale.
• Drive high‑volume production strategy, optimizing designs for scale, cost, and reliability.
• Collaborate with Electrical and Controls teams to optimize actuator and sensor integration.
• Mentor engineers, elevate mechanical engineering best practices, and promote safety in new laboratory processes.

What you’ll bring

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s) with 12+ years of industry experience or Master’s/PhD with 10+ years, focusing on mechanical design of equipment, liquid or gas handling systems.
• Deep expertise in first‑principles modeling and design, with a proven track record of optimizing complex designs for high‑volume manufacturing and cost‑down.
• Extensive experience leading manufacturing projects and managing relationships with manufacturing engineering teams.
• Experience optimizing mechanical design, thermodynamic systems, and interdisciplinary interfaces of fluid systems.
• Sense of urgency and self‑driven to meet difficult schedule targets.
• Direct experience in product development within early‑stage environments moving into production, driving technical strategy.

Relocation Assistance

Relocation assistance is available.

Benefits

Form Energy offers competitive salaries, stock options, and a holistic benefits package, including 100 % coverage of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full‑time employees, 80 % coverage for dependents, at least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents), and generous vacation policies.

Equal Opportunity

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates from all backgrounds.

Privacy Notice

We will never solicit sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account details during the recruiting or hiring process.