Senior Tooling Engineer

Pacific Fusion; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 148,000 - 222,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity plan

6% employer 401k matching

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Pacific Fusion in Los Lunas, NM is seeking a Senior Tooling Engineer to design and procure lifting and transportation fixtures for large hardware, collaborating with engineers, operators, and scientists to ensure safe, efficient installations on rapid timelines.

The role requires a strong background in heavy lifts, rigging, CAD/FEA, and compliance with industry standards, with onsite presence at our NM facility and a focus on reliable, cost-conscious design solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Civil Engineering with structural focus; Masters preferred.
• 7+ years designing and analyzing lift, transport, and handling fixtures for large hardware.
• Deep knowledge of rigging equipment, lifting techniques, load path analysis, and safety standards.
• Expertise in structural and FEA design/analysis for fixtures; familiar with cranes and below-the-hook systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and procure lifting and transportation fixtures for specialty hardware.
• Collaborate with engineers to meet technical and operational requirements.
• Apply industry standards and regulations to improve designs and future ones.
• Review fixture designs for structural integrity under dynamic and static loads.
• Create and review CAD models, FEA, and fabrication drawings for fixtures.
• Document testing requirements and findings to optimize next design revision.
• Mentor the design engineering team on lift/transport fixture best practices.

Skills

Lift design

Rigging knowledge

Load path analysis

Industry standards

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Civil Engineering

Masters degree preferred

Tools

CAD

FEA

Job description

Pacific Fusion was founded in 2023 with the mission to power the world with abundant, affordable, clean energy.

We are rapidly designing and building a pulser-driven inertial fusion system to achieve net facility gain (more fusion energy output than stored energy input). In parallel, we are developing the key components required to build affordable fusion systems.

Our plans are ambitious. We have raised over $900M so far from incredible investors, resourcing us to deliver on these plans. We are bringing together the best scientists, engineers, and operators from the fusion community, hard tech industry, and other sectors. We are united by a shared sense of urgency to provide clean power for the world, particularly managing climate change while meeting growing global energy demand. You can read more about us in this letter from our founders.

Why This Role Matters

The Senior Tooling Engineer will design, analyze, and procure custom handling equipment for lifting, in factory movement and overland transportation of Pacific Fusion’s large custom hardware. You will utilize your expertise in heavy lifts, speciality rigging and in factory movement to create innovative designs to address unique installation and transportation challenges on rapid timelines across multiple locations. In this role you will work collaboratively with engineers, production employees, and scientists to optimize equipment designs across the company for safety, efficiency, and cost as we bring our demonstration system online. This role needs to be onsite at our Los Lunas, New Mexico facility.

What You’ll Do

• Design, analyze, and procure a broad range of lifting and transportation fixtures and handling equipment for specialty hardware
• Working closely with relevant engineers to meet strict technical and operational requirements
• Use industry standards and relevant regulations to apply best practices for future designs and improve existing designs
• Review all lift and transport fixture designs for structural integrity under dynamic and static loading
• Create and/or review detailed CAD models, FEA, and mechanical fabrication drawings of all custom fixtures and handling equipment
• Document equipment testing requirements and findings to optimize next revision of designs
• Mentor larger design engineering workforce on lift and transport fixture best practices

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Civil Engineering, with Structural focus or Masters degree preferred
• 7+ years experience in designing and analyzing lift, transportation, and handling fixtures for large hardware with a proven track record of rigor, creative problem solving, and success
• Deep knowledge of rigging equipment, lifting techniques, load path analysis, and safety standards (e.g., ASME B30 series, OSHA 1926)
• Expertise in design and analysis (structural and FEA) of custom lift, transportation, and handling fixtures for large and heavy hardwareExpertise in variety of cranes (bridge, gantry, mobile, et.c), forklifts, below-the-hook lift fixtures
• Experience in road-transport vehicle options, custom road-transport container/fixtures, permitting requirements for oversized loads
• Proficiency in CAD to create detailed design, drawings, and FEA
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced startup environment
• Strong communication, documentation, and organizational skills

Bonus Points For

• PE license
• Design for lift fixtures in nuclear facilities, including remotely connected and operated lift fixtures
• Experience with integrating hydraulic and/or motorized systems into fixture designs to precisely align large and heavy hardware
• Experience in designing end of arm manipulator systems for robotic applications
• Experience working in industries such as: nuclear, energy, aerospace, and/or construction

Pay Range:

$147,700 - $221,600 USD

Total Compensation & Benefits for Eligible Employees

Equity plan

6% employer 401k matching

Generous paid time off (including sick leave, vacation, paid family leave)

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

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.

Pacific Fusion 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.

Pacific Fusion 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.