Turbomachinery Test Engineer

American Supercritical; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Medical premiums

Dental & vision

Life insurance

401(k)

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave

Hardware ownership

Job summary

American Supercritical is developing a new generation of supercritical CO2 turbomachinery for high-efficiency power generation. The Turbomachinery Test Engineer role focuses on planning and executing turbomachinery tests, from instrumentation to live operations, working with design teams to ensure hardware testability and safe operation.

You will run test campaigns from checkout to full operating envelope, bridging test design, procedures, and real-time troubleshooting to inform design decisions

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years testing complex mechanical, fluid, propulsion, power-generation, or rotating equipment.
• Hands-on experience designing or commissioning test rigs, not just data analysis.
• Strong instrumentation and data-acquisition fundamentals and experience with formal test plans.

Responsibilities

• Execute turbomachinery test campaigns from component tests to full machine validation under Test Lead guidance.
• Design and commission test rigs, support systems, instrumentation, controls interfaces, and safety systems.
• Define test objectives, procedures, matrices, acceptance criteria, and data requirements with the team.
• Develop instrumentation and data-acquisition systems, calibration, synchronization, and data traceability.
• Support readiness reviews and perform checkout, commissioning, startup, and live-test operations.
• Troubleshoot hardware, instrumentation, and controls; translate results into design conclusions.

Skills

Test planning

Instrumentation

Troubleshooting

Data acquisition

Safety awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace/Electrical Engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

Python

MATLAB

Dewesoft

NI

Job description

About American Supercritical

American Supercritical is making heat to valuable to waste. We’re building a new generation of power plants for a world that desperately needs electricity. We’re developing supercritical CO2 turbomachinery that can turn today’s gas turbines into dramatically more efficient combined-cycle systems initially for the fast-growing data center market. These same systems can also transform how SMRs, geothermal plants, concentrated solar plants, thermal batteries, and industrial processes convert heat to electricity.

We’re a team of energy, aerospace, and power-generation veterans building real machines to solve hard problems in energy. We’re looking for exceptional engineers who want broad ownership, fast iteration cycles, and the opportunity to help define both the product and the company.

Role Overview

The Turbomachinery Test Engineer supports the planning and execution of turbomachinery testing, from test architecture and instrumentation through commissioning, live operations, and data-driven design feedback. Reporting to the Integration and Test Lead, you will work with the design team to make hardware testable and build the rigs, procedures, and systems needed to operate it safely.

You’ll help execute test campaigns that take the machine from first checkout and spin through high-speed, high-power operation and the full operating envelope. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who can move comfortably between test design, instrumentation, operating procedures, real-time troubleshooting, and engineering analysis.

Responsibilities

• Execute turbomachinery test campaigns from component tests through full integrated-machine validation under the direction of the Test Lead.
• Design and commission test rigs, support systems, fluid and mechanical interfaces, instrumentation, controls interfaces, and safety systems.
• Work with the Test Lead and design engineers to define test objectives, procedures, matrices, acceptance criteria, and data requirements.
• Develop and maintain instrumentation and data-acquisition systems, calibration, synchronization, data quality, and traceability.
• Support test readiness and hazard reviews, and execute checkout, commissioning, startup, shutdown, abort, fault-recovery, and live test operations.
• Troubleshoot hardware, instrumentation, controls, and system behavior during test and turn results directly into design conclusions and model correlation.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3+ years testing complex mechanical, fluid, propulsion, power-generation, or rotating equipment.
• Hands-on experience designing or commissioning test rigs rather than only analyzing test data.
• Strong instrumentation and data-acquisition fundamentals and experience writing and executing formal test plans and procedures.
• Experience operating high-energy hardware where safety, configuration, and procedural discipline matter.
• Strong engineering judgment under live test conditions and the ability to troubleshoot across mechanical, fluid, electrical, controls, and instrumentation boundaries.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with high-pressure gas or supercritical-fluid test systems.
• Experience with vibration and rotordynamic instrumentation.
• Experience with LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB, Dewesoft, NI, or comparable DAQ and test-automation systems.

Benefits & Compensation

• Meaningful equity ownership in an early-stage company.
• 100% of employee medical premiums and 80% of dependent medical premiums covered.
• 100% employer-paid dental and vision coverage.
• Employer-paid basic life insurance and long-term disability coverage.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Unlimited PTO that we actually expect you to take.
• 8 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Significant ownership of real hardware.
• A beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains from the office.

Our Commitment

American Supercritical is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Our hiring process is designed to be accessible, fair, and focused on the work that matters most for the role. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process and employment.