Senior Tooling Engineer

Pacific Fusion; Los Lunas (NM); On-site; USD 147,700 - 221,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity plan

6% employer 401k matching

Generous paid time off

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

Job summary

Pacific Fusion in Los Lunas, NM seeks a Senior Tooling Engineer to design, analyze, and procure lift and transport fixtures for large hardware. You will apply rigging knowledge, CAD/FEA skills, and safety standards to create robust, cost-effective handling equipment on rapid timelines.

Collaborating with engineers, production, and scientists, you’ll optimize designs for safety and efficiency while mentoring younger designers in lift fixture best practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Civil Engineering with Structural focus.
• 7+ years designing lift/transport fixtures for large hardware.
• Deep knowledge of rigging equipment, lifting techniques, load path analysis, and safety standards (ASME B30, OSHA 1926).
• Expertise in structural/FEA design and analysis of fixtures for large hardware.
• Experience with various cranes and below-the-hook fixtures.
• Proficiency in CAD to create drawings and FEA.

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and procure lifting and transport fixtures.
• Collaborate with engineers to meet requirements.
• Apply standards to improve future designs.
• Review fixture designs for structural integrity.
• Create CAD models, FEA, and drawings.
• Document testing requirements and findings.
• Mentor design engineers on lift fixture practices.

Skills

Rigging knowledge

Load path analysis

Safety standards

Structural analysis

Communication

Documentation

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Civil Engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

CAD

FEA

Job description

About Pacific Fusion

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.

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
• Work 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 Master’s 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 hardware
• Expertise in a variety of cranes (bridge, gantry, mobile, etc.), 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

• Industry‑competitive salary
• 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.

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