Back to jobs
New

Cycle Performance Engineer

El Segundo, CA

About Us

At Arbor Energy & Resources Corporation ("Arbor Energy"), we’re creating technology to power our lives while protecting the planet that sustains them.  Our advanced power systems deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity with zero operating emissions—modular, fuel-flexible, and engineered for the realities of today’s energy demand. At the core is a supercritical CO₂ turbine with integrated carbon capture, designed to bring carbon-neutral power online quickly at meaningful scale. 

Our team includes aerospace engineers, combustion experts, and systems thinkers with a shared goal: to build technology worthy of the world we want to live in. While many of us began our journeys looking to the stars, we’re applying that expertise here at home to deliver dependable, emission-free baseload power and a future of lasting abundance.  

If you share our values and are drawn to rigorous work with lasting impact, we’d love to learn more about you. Come build what the future will run on.

Steward our planet: We build for tomorrow, ensuring every bolt we tighten and every hand we lend leaves our environment stronger than we found it.

Lead with Love: We champion the success of our people, partners, and planet, nurturing excellence through camaraderie and rigor.

Explore the Uncharted: We embrace the unknown with curiosity, using courage and discipline to transform uncertainty into opportunity.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Cycle Performance Engineer to own the thermodynamic model of our direct-fired supercritical CO₂ Brayton cycle power loop — connecting design intent to real-world test results. In this role, you will plan and execute performance analysis campaigns, predict system response ahead of testing, and reconcile model output against test data to sharpen our understanding of first-of-a-kind technology. You will work closely with test engineers, combustion engineers, turbomachinery engineers, and our recuperator and fluid systems teams, translating integrated system behavior into clear, actionable technical insight. This is hands-on, high-stakes engineering work on climate-impactful technology at the frontier of what's possible in clean power. 

Responsibilities

  • Own the integrated heat and mass balance model for Arbor's power loop, maintaining and improving it as system design and operating experience evolve 
  • Run steady-state and transient/dynamic simulation cases to predict system-level performance ahead of test campaigns — including sensitivity studies that answer "what happens to the loop if we change X?" 
  • Analyze test data and systematically reconcile differences between measured and predicted performance, driving model refinement and surfacing component-level insights for disciplinary engineers 
  • Support test planning by providing pre-test performance predictions, identifying operating envelope constraints, and flagging potential interactions across the integrated system 
  • Critically evaluate commercial process simulation tools (e.g., Aspen HYSYS, Pro/II, Symmetry) for fitness to the sCO₂ recuperated Brayton cycle use case, and lead implementation of scripted alternatives (Python, MATLAB/Simulink) when commercial tools fall short 
  • Collaborate with combustion, turbomachinery, and heat exchanger engineers to integrate component-level performance data and curves into system-level models 
  • Participate in process hazard analyses (PHA/HAZOP), control narrative reviews, and operating procedure development as projects progress through the hardware lifecycle 

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Aerospace, or related Engineering field 
  • 6+ years of experience in process engineering, cycle performance analysis, thermodynamic systems design, or closely related discipline 
  • Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer, with demonstrated ability to apply them to integrated multi-component system analysis 
  • Experience critically evaluating commercial process simulation tools (Aspen HYSYS, Pro/II, Symmetry, or equivalent) and building custom models in Python, MATLAB, or similar when commercial tools fall short; comfort with both steady-state and dynamic simulation 
  • Working knowledge of the process equipment that makes up an integrated power loop — heat exchanger sizing and rating (Q = UA·LMTD), compressor and pump curves, control valve Cv, pressure relief, and piping hydraulics 
  • Ability to manage competing priorities, communicate complex technical findings clearly across disciplines, and proactively seek direction when operating with loose guidance 
  • Strong ownership mentality and comfort driving rigorous analysis in a fast-paced, startup environment 

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with supercritical CO₂, closed Brayton cycles, high-pressure systems (100+ bar), or other high-density working fluids 
  • Hands-on plant startup, commissioning, or field troubleshooting experience — particularly on developmental or first-of-a-kind systems 
  • Background in rocketry, gas turbine, or high-performance turbomachinery environments 
  • Programming or scripting proficiency for simulation, data reduction, and automation (Python, MATLAB/Simulink) 
  • Experience in a startup or agile R&D environment 

Compensation & Benefits

  • Pre-IPO stock options
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance (Arbor covers 90% for employees)
  • Basic life insurance fully covered
  • Health savings account (HSA) with matching
  • Flexible savings account (FSA)
  • Unlimited PTO  
  • 12+ company holidays, including Earth Day!  
  • 401(k)
  • Commuter benefits
  • Annual learning and development stipend
  • And more!

Base Pay: $140,000 - $155,000 USD/year. The salary is subject to the applicant's skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.

Our Commitment

Arbor Energy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Solving global energy challenges requires a wide range of perspectives and experiences, and we are committed to building a team that reflects the world we serve.

Our hiring process is designed to be accessible, fair, and focused on the work that matters most for this role. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process and employment—please let us know if you need one.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Arbor Energy’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.