Mechanical Engineer, Industrial Airflow

THE ROLE

We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to join Heirloom’s Plant Design team to provide technical expertise in industrial airflow systems. This is a hands-on, highly technical role where you will serve as the design engineer to design and specify our next generation Airflow System to meet critical performance targets and move large volumes of air through the carbonation system.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own the end-to-end design of the carbonation airflow system product, including fan selection, intake system, and flow-conditioning geometry.

• Specify equipment that meets process performance targets for airflow uniformity, flow, and velocity.

• Define and specify the sealing system to achieve the basis of design airflow efficiency target.

• Generate technical specifications, general arrangement drawings, RFQs, and performance requirements for industrial-scale air-moving equipment.

• Oversee supplier diligence and equipment selection for fans, intake, and sealing.

• Contribute to make vs. buy analysis for the airflow system.

• Technical lead for the roadmap for CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), physical scale modeling, and full-size prototyping in coordination with the Innovation team to demonstrate viability of the airflow system.

• Apply Reynolds Number scaling laws to translate data from physical scale models to commercial-scale performance.

• Provide on-site commissioning support and troubleshooting during the startup of airflow systems.

• Responsible for design and equipment specification for other supporting mechanical systems - dust collection, and system-level water delivery.

• Travel to vendor facilities and project sites (domestic and international) to oversee FATs and installation.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering

• 5+ years in a design-centric role involving moving air on an industrial scale such as liquid natural gas cooling, gas turbine intakes, data center cooling, or other industrial HVAC.

• Technical depth—ability to audit engineering details

• Hands-on experience with industrial cooling systems commissioning and startup

• Vendor management skills; ability to manage technical procurement and equipment delivery schedules.

• Collaborative communication; ability to work across Innovation and Plant Design teams to resolve interface conflicts.

• "Get it done" attitude; a proactive approach to identifying system bottlenecks and fixing them.

• Experience in the AEC industry turning process requirements into operational reality.

• Mobility; comfortable with domestic and international travel for site visits and vendor inspections.

• Software Proficiency: Experience with AutoCAD, Revit, and Google Suite

NICE TO HAVE

• MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in fluid dynamics.

• Direct experience specifying, constructing, and commissioning industrial cooling systems in liquid natural gas plants, gas turbine intakes, or large scale data centers.

• Direct hands-on experience setting up and running large-scale industrial CFD simulations (e.g., beyond academic projects).

• Software Proficiency: Experience with Ansys Fluent and Autodesk Plant 3D

• Programming language: python

You don’t have to have every listed requirement and skill to be a great fit. If you are passionate about this opportunity and think you have the skills to succeed, please apply!

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We encourage you to apply if you identify as Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Hispanic or Latino, LGBTQ+ – or with any other underrepresented group – even if you don’t tick all the boxes in the description below.

Perks and Benefits

• Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by Heirloom. FSA option.

• 16 weeks paid parental leave for all Heirloom employees.

• Generous stock options.

• Unlimited PTO for exempt (salaried) employees & 120 hours for full time non-exempt (hourly) employees.

• 401(k).

• Monthly health and wellness reimbursement.

• Annual education and conference budget.

Our Principles

• Radical Honesty. We strive to foster an inclusive environment premised on transparency and respect. We push for excellence, yet always remain thoughtful when challenging each other.

• Persistent Optimism. We show up to work with optimism and don’t shy away from a challenge. We recognize that the ambitious nature of our mission requires hopefulness, dedication, and persistence.

• Maximize Learning. Compounding knowledge is our key to victory - we continuously hone our crafts, seek the fastest paths to improve, and are quick to absorb and apply new insights.

Why you should join Heirloom

• We are solving the challenge of our generation. Climate change is an existential threat, and we need as many of the world’s motivated minds as possible to help. There is no greater challenge or opportunity than fighting climate change.

• We are a world-class team. We are engineers, scientists, and concerned humans from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who are pooling our knowledge and skills to collectively build a more equitable, prosperous future for all.

• We remain united, resilient, and optimistic. We recognize the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us, yet believe that we can contribute to mitigating the worst effects of climate change. It won’t be easy, but we won’t quit.

We are backed by credible climate partners. We’re well funded by investors from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ahren Innovation Capital, Carbon Direct, Microsoft, Lowercarbon Capital, ARPA-e and the National Science Foundation. Our early customers include Stripe, Shopify, and Klarna, and we’re building durable partnerships that enable us to tackle this decades-long problem.