Thermal Mechanical Systems Engineer

Actalent; Woodinville (WA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401(k) plan

Life Insurance

Disability insurance

HSA

Job summary

Actalent seeks a Mechanical Systems Engineer in Woodinville, WA for a 12-month contract-to-hire role. The candidate will design and build mechanical and electro-mechanical systems, supporting development and field deployments, with travel as needed.

Strong mechanical and electrical background, thermal/heat systems experience, and hands-on project work are highly valued. The role emphasizes aggressive cost reduction and scaling solutions for field deployment.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in mechanical or electrical engineering or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience with thermal or heat systems (mechanical and electrical).
• Hands-on project experience (e.g., Formula SAE, robotics, or similar).
• Demonstrated end-to-end problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Own problems end-to-end: from first-principles through design, build, test, iteration, and scale-up.
• Design and build mechanical and electro-mechanical systems for ongoing development and field deployments.
• Cross-disciplinary work across mechanical and electrical components (sensors, controllers, heaters).
• Simplify aggressively to meet cost requirements and improve manufacturability.
• Scale benchtop results to fieldable systems with attention to cost, schedule, reliability, and serviceability.
• Support field deployments and travel for building and commissioning test systems and site visits.

Skills

End-to-end problem solving

Hands-on engineering

Mechanical design

Electrical integration

CAD

Thermal systems

Field deployments

Cost optimization

Education

BS/MS in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

CAD software

Job description

Job Description

A clean energy thermal R&D company located in Woodinville, WA is currently hiring for a Mechanical Systems Engineer. A candidate who has strong mechanical and electrical experience, has any relevant thermal or heat systems experience, and a passion for the clean energy and R&D space would be a great potential fit. You will be responsible for designing and building mechanical and electro-mechanical systems, supporting ongoing development and field deployments. Your role involves simplifying designs aggressively to meet cost requirements and scaling successful solutions from benchtop models to fieldable systems. You will also support field deployments, including travel for building and commissioning test systems, and customer/vendor site visits.

Pay - $80/hr. ($166,400/yr.)

Location - Woodinville, WA (100% On-Site)

12-Month Contract-To-Hire

Summary Of Key Responsibilities

• Own problems end-to-end: Solve problems from first-principles reasoning through design, build, test, iteration, and scale-up.
• Design and build hardware: Ideate and build mechanical and electro-mechanical systems supporting ongoing development and field deployments.
• Cross disciplinary boundaries: Design and build systems that include mechanical assemblies, sensors, controllers, heaters, and other electrical/mechanical components.
• Simplify aggressively: Our cost requirements necessitate ruthless adherence to simplification.
• Scale what works: Help translate benchtop and numerical modeling results into fieldable and scalable systems, with attention to manufacturability, cost, schedule, reliability, and serviceability.
• Support field deployments: Travel as needed for building and commissioning test systems, and customer/vendor site visits.

Qualification Requirements

• BS/MS in mechanical or electrical engineering or related field, or equivalent practical experience. Capability is more important than credentials.
• Any experience with thermal or heat systems (in both mechanical and electrical) would be a great fit.
• Clear evidence that you enjoy building things. Past work projects, personal side projects, automotive work, Formula SAE, robotics, rocketry, or other similar hands-on experience all count.
• Demonstrated evidence of end-to-end problem solving.
• Broad foundation in physical sciences. Strong working knowledge of the governing principles of heat transfer, fluid mechanics, mechanics of materials, electrical circuits, and related fields.
• Fluency with engineering calculations. Comfortable rapidly bounding unfamiliar problems using hand calculations, order-of-magnitude estimates, and simple spreadsheet models before moving to detailed design or simulation.
• Quantitative sanity checking. Develop an independent expectation for what an answer should look like from first-principles reasoning, and recognize when a measurement, simulation, or vendor proposal is physically implausible.
• Comfort moving between mechanical design/CAD, electrical component selection, sensors/instrumentation, data acquisition, troubleshooting, and experimental work, with a preference for experience in industrial process environments.
• Bias towards practical utility and rapid learning. You care about whether the system works and is cost-effective in practice.
• Low ego, high ownership. Comfortable rapidly changing paths when evidence and test results indicate, and asking for help or input when needed.
• Eagerness to work hands-on in both lab and outdoor field environments and get dirty when the job requires.

Employee Value Proposition

• An exceptional opportunity to join a fast-growing, innovative company that supports thermal battery and clean energy storage.
• Systems you develop will ultimately be deployed at enormous scale, presenting a unique opportunity for individual contributions to have outsized impact.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Woodinville, WA.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $80.00 - $80.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 26, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Woodinville, WA.

About Actalent

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.