Mechanical Design Engineer

Tau is a venture-backed advanced technology company based in the Bay Area (Redwood City, CA). We design and develop next-generation products for electrification, constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation. The company was started because we believe the key to a more sustainable future requires modern power conversion systems to increase the security of the world's energy. We have pioneered technologies that leverage software-enabled hardware to provide industry-leading scale, economics, and efficiencies.

Our systems include innovations across electric machines, inverters, controllers, thermal management, simulation, and charging systems.

Tau's team of engineers, scientists, technologists, operators, and industry leaders continues to advance our internal technology roadmap while collaborating with commercial partners to deploy our existing products to market. They are relentlessly pursuing the creation of efficient power conversion systems for a more sustainable future. At our core, Tau is made of exceptionally talented and mission-aligned people. Developing complex electromechanical systems is an interdisciplinary challenge.

We want to expand our team with diverse engineering, scientific, and operational expertise.

About you

We are looking for people who aren't afraid to take on new challenges and are as passionate about energy and electrification as we are:

• You find significant challenges exciting and enjoy discovering and defining problems as much as solving them.
• You deliver. You may enjoy thoughtful conversations about problems and perfecting design, but ultimately, you know that delivering innovative, effective, and reliable solutions matters.
• You are a cross-disciplinary team member. You are excited to work with, learn from, and contribute to technology teams ranging from electromagnetics, power electronics, controls systems, mechanical, materials, software, computational physics, and beyond.

About the Role

We seek several Mechanical Design Engineers to join our growing team to advance our internal technology roadmap and translate our innovative products to market with our commercial partners.

As a design team member, you will help design, develop, and commercialize next-generation technology systems. You will apply engineering fundamentals and innovation to solve problems and learn quickly and creatively. You will model, design, source, prototype, test, and benchmark designs in the role. You should be able to communicate clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical colleagues. Hands-on experience and demonstrated impact in electromechanical systems are pluses.
What You'll Do

• Design and build hardware systems for use in automotive and energy storage applications
• Develop and optimize designs in 3D CAD software with associated CAE tools
• Validate manufacturing, assembly, and service feasibility
• Create designs interactively with the multidisciplinary team to incorporate technical and product engineering inputs into the design
• Complete and release component designs and documentation, including 2D drawings
• Integrate mechanical designs with high-voltage electrical systems in a multidisciplinary environment
• Develop the design for failure modes and effects analysis (DFMEA) and Design Verification Plan (DVP)
• Optimize mechanical designs for size, weight, durability, performance, manufacturability, and cost
• Work with cross-functional teams to build and test designs
• Participate in the sourcing process and manage engineering relationships with suppliers
• Deliver to defined schedules

What You'll Bring

• 1-3 years direct work experience in motor design, thermal management, OBC (Onboard Charging) in automotive and energy storage applications
• Capacity to work independently, including start-to-finish ownership of hardware - from specification to design, prototype, reliability validation, and high-volume manufacturing
• Strong 3D CAD skills, with proficiency in at least one professional 3D CAD package
• Demonstrated understanding of GD&T
• Experience with component design, analysis, and validation
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes such as injection molding, sheet metal stamping, die casting, etc.
• Great technical and interpersonal communication
• Evidence of being a self-starter and bringing projects to completion
• Proactive mindset, strong work ethic, and curious nature
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment
• Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering or equivalent

Desired Skills

• Hands-on mechanical fabrication, prototyping, and test experience.
• Master or Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering or a relevant field
• Automotive powertrain experience-especially transmission and EV powertrain systems
• Automotive experience or the equivalent in experience and evidence of exceptional ability
• Knowledge of environmental, reliability, and safety requirements for Automotive, Industrial, & Residential applications
• Previous direct involvement in product launch or manufacturing support for mass production.
• Experience with electronic…