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Engineer

Mainspring Energy Hiring for Controls Engineer, Senior at Menlo Park, CA Full Time

Full Job Description

Senior Controls Engineer
Company Overview
Driven by our vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero carbon grid of the future, Mainspring has developed a new category of power generation — the linear generator — that delivers onsite, fuel-flexible power to help accelerate the transition to the future grid.
The unique combination of attributes offered by Mainspring’s linear generator enables applications on both the customer and utility sides of the meter for the $816B global electricity equipment market. We serve a wide range of Fortune 500 customers across markets and industries as well as top-tier utilities and other gridside providers.
We are looking to build relationships with people who share our values:
  • Pragmatic Optimism. Building a new category of world-class power generation requires the optimism of ambition and creativity, balanced with practicality to solve problems efficiently. The challenges that arise are opportunities for growth.
  • Excellence without Ego. We bring expertise and commitment to creating the best customer experience, from sales to deployment and service, just as we apply deep technical rigor to building and delivering world-class products. We strive for excellence and behave as leaders with the humility to acknowledge our challenges, both collectively and as individual contributors.
  • Proactive Collaboration. The integration and cross-disciplinary nature of Mainspring’s business requires intentionally seeking out others who bring different skills, perspectives, and priorities. Our culture of inclusion and respect extends beyond our team to interactions with our partners and customers.
Mainspring is based in Menlo Park and is backed by top-tier venture and strategic investors such as Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, American Electric Power, and Centrica Innovations. More information can be found at www.mainspringenergy.com.
Responsibilities
Do you love thermodynamics and dynamic system control? Have you thought about thermodynamic cycles as both continuous and discrete dynamic systems? As other industries convert their thermodynamic machines to electromagnetic machines and electrify their platforms, would you like to help generate that clean electricity?
Linear generators are a new platform that take advantage of mechanically unconstrained piston motion to cleanly and efficiently react a variety of environmentally friendly fuels with disparate properties (like biogas, hydrogen, and ammonia). The linear generator reaction is close to an ideal Otto cycle, so knowledge and intuition of engine control, thermodynamics, and reaction kinetics are applicable here.
Mainspring has a high-impact opportunity for a Senior Controls Engineer on our reaction control team to help optimize the system performance by incorporating physics-based models with modern control algorithms to reduce calibration, improve reaction stability, and increase power and efficiency.
Additionally, controls engineers at Mainspring will:
  • Implement models, algorithms, and continuous-integration (MIL, SIL, PIL) tests in C++17
  • Design and simulate automation, controllers, diagnostics, and fail-safes for a novel integrated platform
  • Collaborate with other controls engineers on designs and architectures
  • Debug sensors, actuators, and subsystems for noise and disturbances and assist in calibration, verification, and validation. Communicate algorithms with block-diagrams, pseudo-code, code, etc.
  • Analyze complex thermodynamic-mechatronic systems with experimental data and create representative plant models
  • Support reliability and manufacturing testing of systems under control
  • Analyze data to assess performance capabilities and inform requirements and design decisions
  • Support fleet generator operation to enhance reliability and performance
Qualifications
  • Driven and self-directed enthusiastic contributor
  • Multiple years of experience designing, implementing, and testing algorithms in thermodynamic machines – experience with engines is a plus
  • BS in mechanical engineering or related degree or experience – advanced degrees are a plus
The Bay Area salary for this role is $130k-$175k base + pre-IPO stock options + benefits. This position is on-site in Menlo Park, CA. The salary will be adjusted based on the experience of the employee.
Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don’t meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we’d still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background.
In more traditional words, Mainspring Energy, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Job Overview

  • ID: 363879
  • Date Posted:
  • Job Title: Mainspring Energy Hiring for Controls Engineer, Senior at Menlo Park, CA