Lead Turbomachinery Engineer

Lead Turbo machinery Engineer

An early-stage energy technology company is developing next-generation power conversion systems designed to improve efficiency, scalability, and performance across a range of demanding energy applications.

The company is developing advanced turbo machinery technology and is moving from prototype development toward increasingly sophisticated hardware testing and production. This is an opportunity to join an experienced engineering team at an early stage and take ownership of a critical piece of the technology.

We are seeking a Lead Turbo machinery Engineer to lead the aerodynamic design and development of the compressor and turbine at the core of the company's power-conversion system.

This role combines deep turbo machinery engineering with early-stage technical leadership. You will work across aerodynamic design, system architecture, hardware development, testing, and manufacturing while helping establish the processes and team needed to scale the technology.

• Lead the aerodynamic design of compressors and turbines, from preliminary meanline design through streamline analysis and 3D CFD.
• Own aerodynamic performance prediction across both design-point and off-design operating conditions.
• Drive rotating hardware toward released designs in collaboration with mechanical and systems engineering teams.
• Evaluate how aerodynamic decisions interact with structural, thermal, rotordynamic, sealing, bearing, and manufacturing constraints.
• Partner closely with rotor dynamics and mechanical engineering specialists to develop an integrated rotating system.
• Support prototype hardware builds, test-rig development, testing, and data-driven design iteration.
• Analyze test results and translate experimental data into improvements to aerodynamic and hardware designs.
• Work with manufacturing and external suppliers to develop manufacturable rotating hardware.
• Contribute to system-level architecture and technical trade studies.
• Establish engineering methods, analysis processes, and design practices that can scale with the organization.
• Help recruit, mentor, and develop engineers as the turbo machinery team grows.
• Maintain a hands-on role in technical problem solving while providing engineering direction to other team members.

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience designing and analyzing turbo machinery such as: compressors, turbines, turbopumps, turboexpanders, turbochargers, or other rotating flow machinery.
• Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and turbo machinery aerodynamics.
• Experience taking turbo machinery designs through meaningful portions of the development cycle, ideally through hardware testing and validation.
• Strong understanding of how aerodynamic design decisions interact with structural, thermal, rotordynamic, mechanical, and manufacturing considerations.
• Proficiency with CFD and turbo machinery design tools, such as ANSYS CFX, Fluent, AxStream, CFturbo, or comparable platforms.
• Proficiency with CAD tools, such as NX, Solid Works, Creo, Onshape, or comparable systems.
• Strong engineering judgment and ability to make practical design decisions in an environment where multiple technical constraints must be balanced.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability and willingness to operate as both a technical contributor and engineering leader.
• Interest in working in an early-stage environment where engineers have significant ownership and responsibility.

• Experience with supercritical CO₂ or other real-gas turbo machinery.
• Radial or high-speed compressor and turbine design experience.
• Experience with structural and thermal analysis of turbo machinery hardware, including FEA.
• Experience with detailed mechanical design of rotating hardware through released engineering drawings.
• Knowledge of turbo machinery manufacturing processes.
• Experience working with high-temperature or creep-resistant materials.
• Experience taking rotating machinery from initial design through hardware testing and validation.
• Experience integrating aerodynamic, mechanical,…