Sr. NPI Engineer

Antora Energy; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 121,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Health benefits

401k plan

Job summary

Antora Energy in San Jose, CA is seeking an experienced engineer to take a product concept through to a running production process. You will define build sequences, design tooling, fixtures, and on-line equipment, and own the arc from concept to release with design engineering, production, and technicians.

You will personally design, analyze, and release fixtures, work cells, and safety-critical lifting systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering or equivalent.
• 5+ years in manufacturing or NPI engineering with tooling/equipment design.
• Concept-to-build-sequence experience with running processes and change control.
• Structural analysis with FEA/hand calculations and safety considerations.
• DFM, lean principles, PFMEA, and work instruction development.
• Cross-functional collaboration in a fast-moving startup.
• Domestic travel up to ~25% during launches.

Responsibilities

• Develop next-generation production process, tooling, and equipment.
• Define build sequence from product concept with design eng.
• Lead design of tooling/workcells, from concept to release.
• Create work instructions and PFMEAs.
• Support gigafactory launch with facility/layout considerations.
• Own station scope, test processes, and rework reduction.
• Improve safety in partnership with EH&S.

Skills

NPI engineering

Tooling design

GD&T

PFMEA

DFM

Lean manufacturing

Safety analysis

Travel flexibility

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering

Tools

MES/PLM systems

BOM structuring

Change management tools

FEA software

Job description

Antora Energy delivers affordable, reliable energy to industry, data centers, and the grid. Our thermal batteries turn low-cost electricity into always-on heat and power, without supply-constrained critical minerals or multi-year construction timelines.

We are growing our company with people who put team and mission first, value connection through laughter and joy, and work with humility and openness. We are committed to building a diverse, passionate, and creative team dedicated to a future powered by abundant, clean, low-cost energy.

Position Summary

Antora is scaling production while preparing the newest generation of our product and a new gigafactory to build it in. We are looking for an engineer who can take a product concept and carry it all the way to a running process: define the build sequence, design the process and the custom tooling that enables it, and integrate it on the floor. Someone who takes full ownership of that arc, starts to finish, working closely with design engineering, production, and the technicians who will build with what they create. This is a hands-on design role: you will personally design, analyze, and release the fixtures, work cells, and safety-critical lifting and handling equipment that production runs on. The tooling and processes you design will set production rates, enable new product launches, and shape the next-generation build process before the factory around it is committed.

Roles & Responsibilities

Develop the next-generation production process, tooling, and equipment

• Partner with design engineering to define the build sequence from the product concept
• Review product designs early, from concept reviews onward, and drive manufacturability into them before designs harden
• Lead process, tooling, and workcell design for your subsystems, carrying designs from concept through analysis, detailed design, and release
• Develop the associated work instructions and PFMEAs

Support the new gigafactory launch

• Translate the production process into facility requirements: layout, material flow, workstation footprints, and tooling and equipment needs
• Partner with factory planning and capital equipment owners through launch

Own station scope and strengthen the current line

• Own your stations through production support and as products evolve through new versions
• Develop and integrate production test processes and rigs: implement design-defined test requirements on the line while maintaining takt, line balance, and rework access
• Share in the team’s standing work: EVT build support, process plan and work instruction releases, change incorporation, issue triage and root cause, tooling upkeep, and equipment commissioning
• Improve safety through partnership with production and EH&S

Contribute to Antora’s culture

• • Put team and mission first
  • Invite critique early and treat feedback as material that strengthens the work
  • Be someone technicians and engineers want building next to them

Key Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

• 5+ years in manufacturing or NPI engineering, including personally designing tooling and equipment for a production environment

• Proven ability to take products from concept to build sequence to running process, with designs carried through detailed design, GD&T, and formal change control

• Structural analysis capability: FEA and hand calculations applied to real hardware, with sound judgment on loads, factors of safety, and safety-critical equipment

• Grounded in DFM, lean manufacturing principles, and PFMEA and work instruction development

• Strong cross-functional collaborator, decisive with incomplete information, and comfortable in a fast-moving startup environment

• Ability to travel domestically as needed, up to approximately 25% during factory launch periods, with typical travel expected to be significantly lower

Additional Qualifications Desired

• Experience launching a new factory or production line from the ground up, including capital equipment specification and vendor-built tooling
• Experience developing production test systems and validation methods
• Experience with MES/PLM systems, BOM structuring, and formal change management in a production environment
• Experience with battery, energy storage, or other thermally or electrically demanding hardware products

Work Location: Onsite - San Jose, CA

Salary Range: $121,000 USD - $170,000 USD

Salary Basis: Annual

Please note that the salary range listed above reflects Antora Energy’s estimated pay for this position. The actual salary offered will be within the posted range and determined based on several factors including but not limited to a candidate’s experiences, credentials and expertise, as they pertain to the position’s requirements.

In addition to a competitive base salary, Antora Energy’s Total Rewards program includes equity compensation in the form of stock options, a premium health benefits package with life and disability insurance, a 401K plan with employer contributions, flexible spending accounts, and an industry leading paid-time-off policy that features flexible and inclusive holiday observance, as well as paid volunteer time off.

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** **When it comes to stopping climate change, we need everyone. We believe that having a diversity of backgrounds and experiences strengthens all of us, and we strive to create an environment where every one of us is empowered to create meaningful change.