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Chief Mechanical Engineer

Houston, Texas, United States; Reston, Virginia, United States

ON.energy is building the power infrastructure that makes the AI era possible. As AI demand surges past what the grid and traditional data centers can support, ON.energy provides a new class of power technology proven at gigawatt scale and trusted by the world’s leading cloud and AI companies. Our systems are already deployed across 2.5 GW of hyper-scale campuses, validated by top U.S. national labs, and certified for grid-safe operation by major utilities. With real products in the field, we’re scaling faster than the grid can, transforming power from a bottleneck into a competitive advantage for the companies building the future.

Chief Mechanical Engineer

Role Overview

The Chief Mechanical Engineer serves as a senior technical advisor and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for ON.Energy’s mechanical systems. This role provides high-level engineering support for critical field issues and serves as a key technical consultant during product design phase and when modification is needed. You will act as a bridge between design theory and real-world operational performance, ensuring hardware reliability through data-driven analysis and expert review.

 

Key Responsibilities

  1. High-Level Technical Support & Escalation
  • Field Technical Support: Serve as the senior technical point of contact for complex or unresolved mechanical issues at project sites, from equipment arrival through the decommissioning phase.
  • Root Cause Analysis: Provide expert oversight and direction for failure investigations, ensuring modifications are technically sound and address the core issue.
  • SME Consultation: Act as a "Level 2" support resource for sales engineering, providing technical validation for non-standard site requirements or client-specific mechanical requests.
  1. Design Advisory & Gate Reviews
  • Technical Reviews: Participate as a Subject Matter Expert in Design Reviews and Stage-Gate Reviews, identifying potential mechanical risks before they reach the field.
  • Product Modification: Provide technical guidance on hardware updates or modifications based on field performance data and evolving safety standards.
  • Requirement Support: Assist the product team in defining mechanical requirements for new hardware, ensuring they are grounded in realistic engineering constraints.
  1. Simulation & Validation
  • Advanced Analysis: Perform or oversee FEA and CFD simulations to validate thermal management strategies and structural integrity.
  • Thermal Performance: Ensure cooling/heating systems are optimized for various environmental conditions, providing simulation-backed recommendations for hardware improvements.
  • Environmental Resilience: Ensure all mechanical designs and site-specific deployments are validated against extreme site conditions, including:
    • Seismic Activity: Ensuring structural anchorage and internal component stability in various seismic zones.
    • Snow & Wind Loads: Validating roof integrity and enclosure stability against local building codes.
    • Corrosion & Ingress: Overseeing protection strategies for high-humidity or coastal (saline) environments.

 

Required Qualifications

  • 20+ years of mechanical engineering experience, specifically within Battery energy storage, Medium Voltage UPS, Power conversion, power generation, or similar industrial equipment.
  • Expertise in FEA/CFD: Hands-on experience or knowledge with simulation tools (e.g., SolidWorks Simulation, or ANSYS) to solve thermal and structural challenges.
  • Strategic Problem Solver: Proven ability to diagnose complex mechanical failures in the field and translate them into design improvements.
  • Communication: Ability to communicate technical risks clearly to both internal stakeholders and external clients.

 

 

For US-based roles - What you’ll get:

  • Competitive salary + annual performance-based bonus eligibility
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) with company match
  • Paid time off and company holidays 

For Mexico-based roles - What you’ll get:

  • Competitive salary + annual performance bonus eligibility
  • Christmas Bonus (Aguinaldo): 30 days
  • Major medical expenses and life insurance
  • Paid time off and holidays (per local policy)

For all roles:

  • Professional development and growth opportunities
  • Opportunity to grow with a mission-driven team shaping the future of clean energy
  • Equal Opportunity: ON.energy is committed to equal employment opportunity and to maintaining a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.
  • Accommodations: If you need an accommodation during the application process, email recruitment@onenergystorage.com
  • Benefits vary by role and location and are subject to change.

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