Mechanical Engineer (Level II/Senior)

Benefits Overview:

Health, dental, 20 days PTO, 11 holidays, unlimited sick days, 12 weeks parental leave, stock options, professional development budget, and more.

Job Overview:

Found Energy is looking for mechanical engineers with 2+ years of experience in an industrial setting (role designation will be commensurate with experience). Applicants should have prior experience designing, fabricating, and integrating complex multi-component systems, ideally including a combination of mechatronics, gas/fluid handling, sensing, energy storage, robotics, or similar. They should also have significant prior hands-on project experience in the build stage, including materials selection, machining, additive manufacturing, and assembly.

Found Energy has demonstrated its core hydrogen generation technologies at the kW-scale, including a system capable of powering a full-sized electric vehicle. We are now working to scale up the reactor system for both our minimum viable product (MVP) and commercial pilot demonstrations. The completion of the MVP and commercial pilots requires designing and testing numerous sub-processes and sub-systems at the targeted industrial scale, as well as at various intermediate scales along the way. 

Mechanical engineers will be responsible for the design, fabrication, and testing of the various components of our MVP, as well as supporting their integration and system-level validation. Beyond working on the MVP, mechanical engineers will also engage in technology development in line with the company’s strategic technical roadmap.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Translate user specifications into design requirements
• Design, build, and test subsystems utilizing CAD and machine shop
• Ensure the seamless integration of individual subsystems in the MVP and prototypes
• Interface with external part fabrication when needed (e.g. part drawings, tolerances, etc.)
• Develop and enhance in-house machining capabilities
• Specify, downselect, and modify COTS components
• Create listed BOM for mechanical as well as electrical systems
• Create process flow diagrams, models, and simulations of the prototype and production systems
• Validation of subsystems through CFD, thermal, and structural simulations
• Participate in and lead design reviews of mechanical subsystems
• Develop safety systems and protocols for the prototype and production systems
• Design and build fixtures to support testing of prototypes and R&D lab experiments
• Translate R&D work into production functional requirements and specifications
• Opportunities to travel domestically and internationally
• Participate in building and growing company culture and values

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deeply motivated by the climate crisis and its downstream impacts
• 2+ years of work experience in mechanical engineering, systems engineering, or related fields
  • Note: Role designation will be commensurate with experience and candidates with additional experience will be considered for advanced individual contributor roles
• Exceptional communication and documentation skills
• Experience in one or multiple of the following:
  • Mechanical design, CAD, and/or rapid prototyping practices
  • Mechanical fabrication (subtractive/additive manufacturing, welding, etc.)
  • Tolerance stacking of large assemblies and sub assemblies
  • One or more CAD software packages (Solidworks, Autodesk, etc.)
  • CFD, thermal, and structural simulation
  • Electrical systems design (sensors, microcontrollers, relays, etc.)
  • Power conditioning and electronics (boost/buck converters, rectifiers, PCB design, etc.)
  • Fluid and/or gas handling systems, including safety and compliance
  • Fuel cells and battery systems
  • Familiarity with Linux/Unix-based operating systems via command line
  • Familiarity with one or more software languages (Python, C++, MATLAB, etc.)
  • Thermodynamics theory and modeling software (e.g. EES, REFPROP)
  • Experience with 5S or similar methodologies