Staff Mechanical Design Engineer - Metal Structures

Mainspring Energy; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 148,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Staff Mechanical Design Engineer specializing in metal structures to join their innovative team. This role involves leading the design and development of complex sheet metal components, ensuring high-quality execution throughout the product lifecycle. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in sheet metal design, FEA analysis, and CAD software, contributing to groundbreaking solutions in power generation technology. Join a forward-thinking company that values pragmatic optimism and proactive collaboration, and help shape the future of clean energy with your expertise.

Qualifications

• 11+ years of experience in mechanical engineering with a focus on metal structures.
• Expertise in sheet metal design and manufacturing processes.
• Strong attention to detail and project ownership.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and analysis for complex sheet metal assemblies.
• Manage vendors and ensure high-quality manufacturing.
• Collaborate across teams for optimal product development.

Skills

Sheet Metal Design

DFM Challenges

FEA Analysis

CAD Software

Project Management

Collaboration

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering

MS in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Ansys

PDM

Job description

Staff Mechanical Design Engineer - Metal Structures

Staff Mechanical Design Engineer - Metal Structures

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This range is provided by Mainspring Energy. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$148,000.00/yr - $170,000.00/yr

Company Overview

Mainspring Energy is revolutionizing power generation with the world’s most flexible and adaptable onsite power generator, the Mainspring Linear Generator. Commercial, industrial, and utility leaders are choosing Mainspring over traditional options like engines, turbines, and fuel cells to quickly and reliably deliver local power for EV charging, commercial facilities, data centers, and grid-scale operations. The Mainspring Linear Generator is fuel flexible, ramps up and down to meet demand, and utilizes a flameless technology with near-zero NOx emissions.

Backed by top-tier investors such as Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, American Electric Power, and Lightrock, Mainspring designs, manufactures and delivers its products to customers across the U.S. today, and we’re quickly scaling for international expansion.

Inspired by our vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero carbon grid, Mainspring is rapidly expanding within the $816B global electricity equipment market, and we’re hiring the best talent to meet growing customer demand around the globe. We welcome a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and talents to bring fresh perspectives and ongoing innovation to our customers.

We are looking to build relationships with people who share our values:

Pragmatic Optimism. Building a new category of world-class power generation requires the optimism of ambition and creativity, balanced with practicality to solve problems efficiently. The challenges that arise are opportunities for growth.

Excellence without Ego. We bring expertise and commitment to creating the best customer experience, from sales to deployment and service, just as we apply deep technical rigor to building and delivering world-class products. We strive for excellence and behave as leaders with the humility to acknowledge our challenges, both collectively and as individual contributors.

Proactive Collaboration. The integration and cross-disciplinary nature of Mainspring’s business requires intentionally seeking out others who bring different skills, perspectives, and priorities. Our culture of inclusion and respect extends beyond our team to interactions with our partners and customers.

More information can be found at www.mainspringenergy.com

Mainspring is looking for an experienced Staff Engineer specializing in metal structures to drive the development of complex sheet metal components and assemblies. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and improving designs, overcoming DFM challenges, managing vendors, procuring and testing parts, and ensuring high-quality execution across all phases of product development. You will not only own engineering development projects but also guide technical decisions and influence the design across the product, with potential for direct reports in the future. The ideal candidate will have a strong combination of technical expertise and the drive to solve complex problems in a collaborative environment.

Company Overview

Mainspring Energy is revolutionizing power generation with the world’s most flexible and adaptable onsite power generator, the Mainspring Linear Generator. Commercial, industrial, and utility leaders are choosing Mainspring over traditional options like engines, turbines, and fuel cells to quickly and reliably deliver local power for EV charging, commercial facilities, data centers, and grid-scale operations. The Mainspring Linear Generator is fuel flexible, ramps up and down to meet demand, and utilizes a flameless technology with near-zero NOx emissions.

Backed by top-tier investors such as Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, American Electric Power, and Lightrock, Mainspring designs, manufactures and delivers its products to customers across the U.S. today, and we’re quickly scaling for international expansion.

Inspired by our vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero carbon grid, Mainspring is rapidly expanding within the $816B global electricity equipment market, and we’re hiring the best talent to meet growing customer demand around the globe. We welcome a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and talents to bring fresh perspectives and ongoing innovation to our customers.

We are looking to build relationships with people who share our values:

Pragmatic Optimism. Building a new category of world-class power generation requires the optimism of ambition and creativity, balanced with practicality to solve problems efficiently. The challenges that arise are opportunities for growth.

Excellence without Ego. We bring expertise and commitment to creating the best customer experience, from sales to deployment and service, just as we apply deep technical rigor to building and delivering world-class products. We strive for excellence and behave as leaders with the humility to acknowledge our challenges, both collectively and as individual contributors.

Proactive Collaboration. The integration and cross-disciplinary nature of Mainspring’s business requires intentionally seeking out others who bring different skills, perspectives, and priorities. Our culture of inclusion and respect extends beyond our team to interactions with our partners and customers.

More information can be found at www.mainspringenergy.com

Mainspring is looking for an experienced Staff Engineer specializing in metal structures to drive the development of complex sheet metal components and assemblies. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and improving designs, overcoming DFM challenges, managing vendors, procuring and testing parts, and ensuring high-quality execution across all phases of product development. You will not only own engineering development projects but also guide technical decisions and influence the design across the product, with potential for direct reports in the future. The ideal candidate will have a strong combination of technical expertise and the drive to solve complex problems in a collaborative environment.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead brainstorming and technical review sessions to develop innovative solutions that enhance performance, cost-efficiency, and reliability of the Linear Generator
• Take full ownership of the design, analysis, testing, optimization, and execution of key structural systems, balancing cost reduction, safety improvements, and system-level reliability
• Apply sheet metal and joint design expertise to develop complex assemblies with optimized manufacturing processes
• Perform FEA analysis, breaking down complex loading conditions into solvable problems to enhance system performance
• Execute tolerance stack-up analysis, ensuring robust and manufacturable designs
• Utilize CAD to create detailed drawings and 3D models, ensuring accuracy in design and documentation
• Independently procure, fabricate, and test parts, driving hands-on validation and iterative improvements
• Collaborate with manufacturing, NPI, test and reliability teams ensuring designs meet performance, manufacturability, and quality requirements.
• Manage vendors and suppliers, ensuring high-quality manufacturing and timely delivery
• Apply DFMEA methodologies to identify and mitigate potential failure modes
• Proactively prioritize activities, balancing project timelines, resources, and risks to ensure consistent delivery on critical engineering initiatives

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering or a similar engineering field from an accredited institution + 11 years
• Expert knowledge of sheet metal design, manufacturing, fastener selection, joint design, coatings, and assembly processes
• Experience designing for long term performance under cyclic and thermal loading conditions while mitigating vibration and acoustic issues
• Demonstrable experience in taking ownership of projects, setting requirements, managing complex technical decisions, identifying and addressing potential risks and driving decisions to meet competing technical and functional requirements
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to generate and review designs, drawings, bill of materials, tolerance stack ups, work instructions and test reports
• Extensive experience in SolidWorks and PDM (or a similar CAD version control system). Experience with FEA, CFD, and programs like SolidWorks Flow Simulation or Ansys
• Familiarity with forming analysis tools to predict DFM issues early is a plus
• Hands on experience in prototyping, testing, and failure analysis of structural components
• Experience working cross functionally with manufacturing, supply chain, test and reliability teams
• Self-starter with a proven ability to deliver functional product designs in a rapid development environment. Experience with a full design lifecycle from concept through manufacturing support is preferred
• A strong desire and ability to mentor and develop junior engineers, providing guidance to help them grow and succeed in their roles
• Passion for creating innovative and cost-effective solutions to enable the large-scale deployment of zero-carbon energy technologies

Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don’t meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we’d still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background.

In more traditional words, Mainspring Energy, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

This compensation and benefits information is based on Mainspring Energy's estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future. We generally do not negotiate on salary once we have made an offer. The level of pay within the range will depend on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant prior experience and/or education, or particular skills and expertise. New hires joining the company tend to be paid within the starting base pay range noted above, with opportunities to increase pay over time based on development of additional skills, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Engineering and Information Technology

• Industries

  Electric Power Generation

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