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Salary: USD 186,000 - 206,900 / annual
Tempo develops thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems for energy-intensive industries, enabling cost-effective energy shifting and fossil-fuel-free high-temperature industrial heat generation. Backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Prelude Ventures, the company is solving critical decarbonization challenges at scale.
As Staff Mechanical Engineer, you will own end-to-end development of mission-critical mechanical and thermal systems from concept through analysis, fabrication, and testing. This is a high-impact individual contributor role with company-wide technical scope and mentorship responsibilities.
Key responsibilities include:
- Lead design, analysis, and manufacturing of complex mechanical and thermal hardware operating at extreme temperatures (up to 1,500°C)
- Architect systems from blank-page concept using SolidWorks, applying rigorous GD&T principles
- Conduct advanced structural (FEA) and thermal (COMSOL) analyses on systems in extreme environments
- Design custom steel and aluminum weldments, overseeing fabrication and quality
- Architect and implement data acquisition systems and instrumentation for prototype validation
- Serve as technical authority for design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-assembly (DFA)
- Take full ownership of project lifecycles, navigating startup ambiguity to deliver hardware on tight timelines
- Mentor junior engineers and drive cross-functional collaboration
Required: Bachelor's in mechanical engineering, 5+ years of professional design and/or hands-on manufacturing experience, prior startup or highly dynamic environment experience.
Preferred: Master's degree, contract manufacturer experience, GD&T expertise, CAD/FEA/thermal analysis proficiency, high-temperature system design background, hands-on fabrication skills (welding, machining), data acquisition and instrumentation experience, demonstrated project completion track record.
The role demands comfort with ambiguity, clear communication, low-ego helpfulness, intellectual curiosity about cross-disciplinary systems (chemistry, mechanical engineering, power electronics, software), and business awareness regarding cost, timeline, and tradeoffs.
Physical demands include extended desk work balanced with lab bench and shop time, lifting up to 50 lbs, hand dexterity for assembly and fabrication, visual acuity for drawings and inspection, PPE compliance in high-temperature environments, and occasional travel (<5%).
