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Salary: USD 71,000 - 89,000 / annual
Tempo, based in San Diego, develops thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems for energy-intensive industries. The platform enables industrial operators to shift energy use over time by sourcing power when most cost-effective and enables electrification of high-temperature industrial heat as a cost-advantaged alternative to fossil fuels. By storing electricity thermochemically, the system delivers continuous combustion-free, high-temperature air at up to 1,200°C. Tempo is backed by leading climate and energy investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Prelude Ventures.
You will serve as a hands-on, detail-oriented Project Engineer supporting project execution within a multidisciplinary Applications Engineering team. This role acts as the primary technical bridge between front-end detailed design and field execution, taking engineered and modular process systems from concept through construction and field startup. You will be responsible for developing project documents and ensuring successful field deployment.
Core responsibilities include:
**Detailed Design & Engineering Deliverables:** Develop, update, and manage engineering process drawings including Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs), mass/heat balance tables, and Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs). Utilize SolidWorks to modify and review 3D project layouts, equipment arrangements, structural frames, and pipe routings.
**Instrumentation & Equipment Specification:** Author, review, and finalize instrumentation and equipment datasheets for process systems (control valves, pressure relief valves, flowmeters, level transmitters, temperature elements, and process equipment). Coordinate directly with instrument and equipment vendors to review technical quotes, evaluate bids against project specifications, and review vendor calculations. Generate Instrument lists, I/O lists, and junction box wiring drawings. Support development of control narrative for heat offtake applications.
**Project Coordination & Vendor Management:** Support the Lead Project Manager in tracking engineering schedules, procurement lead times, equipment expediting, and budget adherence. Interface closely with multi-discipline teams (mechanical, structural, electrical, and automation) to resolve technical and scope gaps. Witness and sign off on Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) at vendor facilities, verifying dimensional accuracy, wiring continuity, and mechanical assembly against engineering drawings.
**Onsite Commissioning & Startup Execution:** Lead and support field pre-commissioning checkout, commissioning, and handover activities at customer operating facilities and job sites for demonstration projects. Execute point-to-point wiring checks, cold and hot loop checks, valve stroking, instrument calibration verifications, and interlock/safety shutdown testing. Lead onsite mechanical completions including pressure testing, punch-list creation and closeout, and leak-check verifications. Provide direct engineering support during startup, tuning, and operational performance testing. Actively enforce field safety procedures.
Tempo values clear, direct communication; low-ego helpfulness; intellectual curiosity about how systems work; business awareness regarding cost, timeline, and tradeoffs; comfort with ambiguity and building processes; and accountability for outcomes.
**Requirements:**
- Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, or closely related discipline
- 3 to 5 years of post-graduate engineering experience working in design, fabrication, or field execution roles within process industries
- Direct, field-based commissioning and startup experience required
- Ability to work onsite in San Diego 5 days per week
- Strong technical documentation capabilities (PFDs, P&IDs, SolidWorks)
- Rigorous understanding of instrumentation and project execution
