Thermal Engineer

At Aircapture we’re creating and scaling a circular carbon economy to solve what we believe to be our lifetime's most pressing challenge: the climate crisis. We supply commercial and industrial customers with clean CO2 captured from our atmosphere to radically improve the environment, our economy, and our lives. We value building a team of people who represent diverse backgrounds--be it thought, education, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation--to reach our goals. Thank you for considering us.

We are seeking a highly skilled and innovative Thermal Engineer to lead the design and development of a 500 kW high-temperature heat pump system capable of delivering saturated steam at up to 120°C. This system will directly support the thermal needs of our Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems. If you’re excited to work on climate-critical technologies and a ground-breaking startup, this is the role for you!

Please Note–due to the requirements of our federal contracts, we can only hire a green card holder or U.S. Citizen for this role.

Salary: $150,000 - $185,000 per year

What You’ll Do Here

• Lead and manage the heat pump development process, both internally and in collaboration with external partners, including system architecture, component selection, performance modeling, prototyping, and validation
• Lead the end-to-end development of a 500 kW vapor compression heat pump to supply steam at 120°C
• Evaluate and recommend working fluids appropriate for high-temperature applications, balancing cost, performance, safety, and environmental impact
• Perform thermodynamic modeling and simulation (e.g., COP, energy balance, refrigerant flow rates, line sizing) to optimize system performance, using ie. Aspen, Python,  or COMSOL
• Collaborate with control engineers and system integrators to ensure seamless integration with DAC equipment
• Oversee the prototype build and testing process, ensuring results align with design models and DAC thermal requirements
• Maintain compliance with safety and refrigeration design standards (e.g. UL, ASHRAE, ASME BPVC, NFPA)
• Interface with supply chain and external engineering partners during vendor evaluation and technical due diligence
• Support cost analysis, risk assessments, and field deployment readiness for the heat pump system

Your Skills and Abilities Include

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical, Thermal Systems, or related field
• 7+ years experience in thermal, refrigeration or heat pump system design, ideally with exposure to high-capacity (>100 kW) and high-temperature (>100°C) systems
• Expertise with thermodynamic cycle modeling using tools like Aspen, RefProps, etc. (we use both)
• Familiarity with refrigerants such as (e.g., R-1234ze(Z), R-245fa, R-1336mzz, CO2, isobutane, ammonia) and high-pressure system design
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (ideally SolidWorks), and basic understanding of FEA and thermal stress analysis
• Familiarity with steam generation and boiler systems a plus
• Hands-on lab or field testing experience, including instrumentation and data analysis a plus
• Experience managing third-party vendors or engineering partners is a plus

This position requires physical activities including climbing stairs or ladders, stooping, crouching to work on equipment, operating machinery and lifting and carrying loads of 30 lbs or more.

Aircapture strives to create a safe, inclusive, equitable and diverse workplace. Every teammate adds to who we are, diversifying our ideas, experiences and viewpoints and makes us stronger. We hope you feel welcome here.