Senior Systems Engineer, Mechanical Design

Company Description

Critical Energy is an innovative, early-stage, venture-backed cleantech company on a mission to accelerate the global energy transition through abundant, low-cost clean energy. Founded by an ex-SpaceX engineer, Critical Energy designs and manufactures factory-built, modular power plants. These rapidly deployable systems convert heat into electricity using a closed-loop thermodynamic cycle and can be installed in just weeks.

Critical Energy’s technology delivers high-efficiency, 24/7 power for geothermal applications and waste heat recovery (including from data center gas turbines), making clean energy practical and cost-effective for demanding sectors like AI hyperscalers and data centers. Backed by top climate and technology investors, Critical Energy is scaling rapidly.

To build an abundant, low-cost, 100% clean energy future through groundbreaking geothermal innovation.

We are a team of passionate engineers, designers, and visionaries building cutting-edge solutions to meet the world’s energy needs with 100% clean energy. We are in the initial stages of development and building our team. This is your chance to join on the ground floor of something big! If you are ready to work at a fun, fast-paced, groundbreaking organization that is positioned to revolutionize geothermal energy, apply today!

We are seeking a versatile Senior Systems Engineer with experience in mechanical design and fluid dynamics to support the design, development, testing, and optimization of clean energy power generation systems. Collaborating with engineers across the company, this Systems Engineer will take ownership from cradle to grave and help drive the project through completion. This role focuses on mechanical and structural design and integration of power generation systems and components such as heat exchangers, turbines, pumps, cooling & lubrication loops, piping, and other balance-of-plant subsystems.

The ideal candidate will combine strong fundamentals and practical product development experience to bridge system architecture, physical layout, and structural integrity, ensuring industry-leading performance, reliability, and integration of complex energy systems.

The role will involve collaborating closely with other members of the Systems team in addition to Turbo machinery, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Field Ops, and others. Candidates must be willing to be flexible in their work and be willing to embrace new learning opportunities and expand their comfort zone to benefit the growth of Critical Energy.

The title of this role may be adjusted based on the candidate's qualifications and experience.

Experience specifically with power generation or process plant systems is not a requirement but is a significant bonus.

• Define system requirements, interfaces, and performance targets related to mechanical structures and fluid systems
• Develop and maintain system-level architecture for mechanical and fluid subsystems
• Perform trade studies to evaluate mechanical configurations, flow architectures, and their impact on system performance and cost
• Integrate components such as pumps, piping networks, valves, heat exchangers, and rotating machinery into the overall system design
• Design structural support hardware for multiple components and sub-systems
• Perform hand calculations using first principles to size components, determine flow rates, estimate stresses, etc.
• Perform finite element analysis (FEA) to evaluate structural integrity of components and subsystems
• Identify opportunities to optimize plant layout to increase construction efficiency, minimize cost, and improve maintainability
• Identify, outline, design, and support component-level and sub-system testing required for risk mitigation
• Assist in the development of test plans and instrumentation strategies to validate mechanical and fluid performance
• Analyze experimental data to refine and improve system design
• Generate technical documentation including system specifications, modeling reports, design trade studies, test analysis reports
• Develop and manage relationships with third-party vendors
• Support Field Ops teams with…