Staff Mechanical Engineer - Charging Systems

Joby Aviation; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 222,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Healthcare benefits

401(k) with company match

Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)

Disability coverage

Life insurance

Job summary

Joby Aviation is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer for its GSE team to lead end-to-end development of charging and thermal systems. You will work across power delivery, fluid handling, and packaging, acting as the primary mechanical interface with electrical, controls, and field operations.

You will own design validation, work with contract manufacturers, and drive cross-functional alignment while mentoring engineers. This role requires global deployments and travel.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant engineering experience with ownership of complex hardware programs.
• Experience designing and building fluid handling systems (coolant loops, pneumatic circuits, pressurized assemblies).
• Proficiency in a professional CAD package; CATIA (3DEXPERIENCE) strongly preferred.
• Able to produce complete, manufacturing-ready documentation: drawings, BOMs, P&IDs, assembly instructions.
• Willingness to travel internationally up to 15-20% for deployments and site support.

Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical architecture of charging and thermal conditioning systems from requirements to validation.
• Design fluid handling systems and manage thermal and hydraulic performance.
• Package high-power electronics into field-deployable enclosures with cross-functional collaboration.
• Produce manufacturing drawings, BOMs, and P&IDs in CATIA; maintain documentation.
• Lead prototype procurement, source vendors, and coordinate fabrication with external partners.
• Lead design validation and testing programs and support NRTL certification.
• Support GSE deployments in the field worldwide, including installation and commissioning.
• Mentor senior engineers and help establish design standards and validation frameworks.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CATIA (3DEXPERIENCE)

Job description

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we're now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

About the GSE Team

The Ground Support Equipment team designs and builds the charging and thermal conditioning infrastructure that keeps Joby's eVTOL fleet flying. We develop everything from stationary high-power dispensers and charge handles to mobile all-in-one charging systems — hardware that must work reliably in airports, vertiports, and remote sites around the world. We're a small, high-ownership team: everyone here owns hardware from napkin sketch through field commissioning.

The Role

We're looking for a Staff Mechanical Engineer who can lead the development of complex GSE systems end-to-end and raise the technical bar across the team. You'll work across power delivery, fluid handling, thermal management, and structural packaging — and you'll be the primary mechanical engineering interface for our electrical, controls, and systems teams, external vendors, and field operations. This is not a position for someone who hands off to others at the hard parts.

Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical architecture of charging and thermal conditioning systems — from requirements definition and system sizing through detailed design, build, and validation
• Design fluid handling systems including coolant loops, pressurized reservoirs, and dispenser assemblies; specify components, author P&IDs, and manage thermal and hydraulic performance
• Package high-power electronics and control circuitry into field-deployable enclosures in tight collaboration with electrical, firmware, and compliance engineers and contract manufacturers
• Produce complete engineering documentation: manufacturing drawings, BOMs, assembly instructions, P&IDs — in CATIA (3DEXPERIENCE)
• Own prototype procurement — source hardware, select vendors, and coordinate fabrication with machine shops and contract manufacturers through the prototype phase; partner with Supply Chain for production-scale builds
• Lead design validation and testing programs; support the compliance team in providing mechanically sound, well-documented hardware for NRTL certification
• Support GSE deployments in the field, globally — including installation, commissioning, and issue resolution at operating sites
• Mentor senior engineers, provide architectural guidance, and help establish design standards and validation frameworks for the team

Required

• B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering or closely related discipline
• 8+ years of relevant engineering experience, with clear evidence of owning complex hardware programs
• Demonstrated experience designing and building fluid handling systems — coolant loops, pneumatic circuits, pressurized assemblies, or similarExperience designing power electronics enclosures and electromechanical assemblies for low-to-medium volume production
• Proficiency in a professional CAD package; CATIA (3DEXPERIENCE) strongly preferred
• Able to produce complete, manufacturing-ready documentation: drawings, BOMs, P&IDs, assembly instructions
• Hands-on — comfortable in a shop, able to debug hardware in person, and willing to do it
• Strong cross-functional communication skills; able to drive alignment across mechanical, electrical, controls, compliance, supply chain, and operations teams
• Willingness to travel internationally up to 15-20% of the time for deployments and site support

Desired

• Experience with DC fast charging infrastructure or high-power electrical systems (100+ kW)
• Familiarity with requirements and design constraints imposed by NRTL certification processes (TUV Rheinland , UL) — you don't need to own the certification path, but you should know how to design for it
• Background in refrigeration or active thermal management systems (chillers, heat exchangers, fluid loops with refrigerants such as R32)
• Experience working with and technically managing external contract manufacturers and machine shops through prototype builds
• Aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated hardware background
• Comfort operating in environments where the standards are being written alongside the hardware

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $161,200 - $221,700/yr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

• Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer