Senior Thermofluids Engineer

Approach Venture; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Medical insurance

On‑site amenities

Job summary

Approach Venture is seeking a Senior Thermofluids Engineer in Hawthorne, CA to own the thermal‑fluid design of the heat‑exchange hardware central to next‑gen power systems. You will drive 3D CFD analyses, lead CAD iterations, and coordinate with suppliers through design reviews, manufacturing, and testing.

The role requires hands‑on work from analysis to fabrication and validation under high temperature and pressure conditions, with close collaboration across cycle, mechanical, and test teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
• Hands‑on experience with 3D CFD for thermal‑fluid hardware design.
• Experience with conjugate heat transfer, internal flows, and pressure‑drop analysis.
• Strong CAD experience to independently create and modify detailed hardware.
• Experience translating CFD results into geometry changes and testing.

Responsibilities

• Own thermal‑fluid design for the system's recuperation and heat‑transfer hardware.
• Lead 3D CFD analysis for flow distribution, heat transfer, and pressure loss.
• Build and iterate CAD models of heat exchangers, manifolds, headers, and passages.
• Translate CFD results into mechanical design changes.
• Size heat exchangers using NTU, effectiveness, and pressure‑drop analyses.
• Develop channel, core, header, and manifold geometries for even flow.
• Predict performance across nominal, transient, and off‑design conditions.
• Coordinate with suppliers through design reviews, manufacturing, and testing.
• Support hardware assembly, instrumentation, testing, and model‑to‑test correlation.
• Improve CFD models based on test results for future iterations.

Skills

CFD analysis

Heat‑exchanger design

CAD modeling

Thermal‑fluid design

Conjugate heat transfer

System‑level design

Supplier coordination

High‑temp/pressure hardware

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

CAD

3D CFD software

Job description

Senior Thermofluids Engineer - Lead thermal hardware development for next‑generation power systems

Hawthorne, California | On-site

Opportunity Summary

Join a well‑capitalized seed‑stage energy hardware company developing a new generation of compact, high‑output power systems. The team is redesigning traditional power‑generation architecture around advanced thermodynamic cycles, modern turbomachinery, and factory‑built hardware that can be deployed significantly faster than conventional power infrastructure. As a Senior Thermofluids Engineer, you will own the thermal‑fluid design of the heat‑exchange hardware at the center of the system. You will drive architecture, 3D CFD analysis, CAD design, sizing, supplier execution, and hardware validation across high‑pressure and high‑temperature operating conditions. This is a hands‑on role for an engineer who can move between analysis and detailed mechanical design, then carry that work into fabricated and tested hardware.

About Us

We are a recently funded seed‑stage energy technology company building modular power‑generation hardware for rapidly growing energy markets. Our approach combines advanced turbomachinery, compact heat‑transfer systems, and scalable manufacturing to create power equipment with a smaller physical footprint and reduced infrastructure requirements. Hardware is already being assembled and tested, with the team moving quickly toward larger systems, customer deployments, and production.

Job Duties

• Own thermal‑fluid design for the system's recuperation, primary heat‑transfer, and heat‑rejection hardware
• Lead 3D CFD analysis for flow distribution, heat transfer, pressure loss, thermal behavior, and conjugate heat‑transfer problems
• Build and iterate detailed CAD models of heat exchangers, manifolds, headers, flow passages, and associated thermal hardware
• Translate CFD and thermal‑analysis results directly into geometry and mechanical design changes
• Size heat exchangers using effectiveness, NTU, heat‑transfer, and pressure‑drop analysis
• Develop channel, core, header, and manifold geometries for efficient and uniform flow distribution
• Predict thermal and fluid performance across nominal, transient, and off‑design operating conditions
• Build and maintain 1D thermal‑hydraulic and network models to support component and system‑level design decisions
• Balance thermal performance, pressure drop, packaging, structural constraints, manufacturability, and schedule
• Work closely with cycle, mechanical, structural, manufacturing, and test engineers to define interfaces and operating requirements
• Lead technical coordination with heat‑exchanger suppliers and fabricators through design reviews, manufacturing, inspection, and acceptance
• Support hardware assembly, instrumentation, testing, troubleshooting, and model‑to‑test correlation
• Use test results to improve CFD models, design assumptions, and future hardware iterations

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical field
• Strong foundation in heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics
• Significant hands‑on experience using 3D CFD for thermal‑fluid hardware design
• Experience with conjugate heat transfer, internal flows, pressure‑drop prediction, and flow‑distribution analysis
• Strong CAD experience with the ability to independently create and modify detailed mechanical hardware
• Experience using CAD and CFD together as part of an iterative design process
• Hands‑on experience designing and sizing heat exchangers or other high‑performance thermal‑fluid hardware
• Experience calculating pressure drop, heat‑transfer performance, effectiveness, and thermal operating limits
• Proficiency with 1D or network‑based thermal‑fluid modeling
• Track record of taking designs from analysis and CAD through fabrication and physical testing
• Ability to work effectively across simulation, detailed design, suppliers, manufacturing, and test
• Strong technical communication skills and comfort operating with significant engineering ownership

Preferred Experience

• Supercritical CO₂ systems or other high‑pressure, real‑gas, or near‑critical fluid applications
• Compact or high‑effectiveness heat exchangers such as printed‑circuit, microchannel, or plate‑fin designs
• Advanced CFD workflows including conjugate heat transfer, meshing strategy, turbulence modeling, and model validation
• Parametric CAD, design optimization, and design‑for‑manufacturing experience
• High‑temperature and high‑pressure thermal systems
• Additively manufactured heat exchangers or complex internal flow hardware
• Air‑cooled heat rejection or dry‑cooling systems
• Combustion‑side heat transfer, fired heaters, burners, or related equipment
• Pressure‑containing hardware including thermal stress, creep, fatigue, and pressure‑boundary design
• Heat‑exchanger testing and model‑to‑test correlation
• ASME pressure vessel or heat‑exchanger design standards
• Turbomachinery, propulsion, power generation, nuclear, industrial process, or advanced energy hardware
• Early‑stage startup or rapid hardware‑development experience

Why Join Us

• Join a well‑capitalized seed‑stage company at the point where first-of‑kind hardware is moving into larger‑scale systems and customer deployment
• Own a technically critical subsystem with direct influence on overall system efficiency, packaging, and performance
• Work across CFD, CAD, hardware design, manufacturing, and test rather than operating only as an analyst
• Work directly with the founding team and experienced engineers developing complex turbomachinery and power hardware
• Take hardware from analysis and detailed design through fabrication, testing, iteration, and eventual production
• Meaningful equity ownership
• Company-sponsored medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Fully stocked kitchen with snacks, coffee, and lunch

Compensation Details

$180,000 - $230,000