Senior Mechanical Engineer

Karman Industries

Karman Industries is a Torrance-based thermal technology company building the backbone for giga-scale AI infrastructure. Founded by a team from SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and GE, Karman is moving beyond legacy cooling with the launch of the HPU (Heat Processing Unit)—a new category of thermal architecture designed for the 100kW+ rack era.

The HPU shrinks the exterior mechanical yard by up to 80% while reducing peak energy consumption by 10%+. Unlike traditional systems, the Karman HPU provides zero-water (WUE 0) cooling that ensures high-TDP GPUs and HBM4 memory stay at optimal thermal setpoints without throttling.

Founded in 2024, we’re a fast-growing team of passionate professionals dedicated to making a tangible impact on the future of humanity. We design, build, and test real hardware, and we lead with ownership: you’ll own your work from concept to hardware and help shape how we scale. Our values are Ownership, Performance Excellence, Radical Transparency, and Customer-Centricity.

Join us in our mission to transform the industry and contribute to a more sustainable world.

Senior Mechanical Engineer

Karman Industries is seeking a highly motivated Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the design and development of the next generation of electric heat pumps for industrial process heat electrification. The successful candidate will own the design, analysis, and qualification of mechanical and thermal systems for the Thermal01 heat pump and future product lines.

This role requires broad technical ownership spanning structural, thermal, and turbomachinery hardware. You will drive all phases of product development—from conceptual design and analysis through prototyping, testing, and production. We are a team that values first-principles thinking, hands-on problem solving, and close cross-functional collaboration to deliver cohesive, high-performance systems.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate within a multidisciplinary team to design and develop all aspects of Karman’s heat pump systems.
• Ownership of critical hardware, components and responsibility for every aspect of the design. Demonstrate ownership including manufacturing and assembly of early prototypes.
• Mechanical system expertise across the entire development cycle: Drive system architecture, define requirements, prototyping & testing, manufacturing support
• Develop analytical, physics based first principles models to determine hardware performance and limitations.
• Create and manage complex CAD assemblies and detailed designs for both prototype and production hardware
• Analyze and implement compliance and certification requirements for industrial deployment
• Closely partner with internal manufacturing team and external partners to rapidly iterate and ensure efficient build of systems and components
• Ensure designs meet performance targets, cost objectives, and program schedules
• Apply creativity and critical thinking to develop novel solutions and challenge conventional approaches

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace, physics or related discipline
• 3+ years of experience in the design of mechanical hardware, components, or systems
• Strong proficiency in Computer-Aided Design (CAD), preferably Siemens NX or similar
• Deep understanding of mechanical fundamentals, including materials, manufacturing methods, structural analysis, and testing
• In depth hands-on experience developing hardware as part of a professional role, project team, or personal project
• Highly self-motivated, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple priorities with excellent communication skills

Desired Skills and Experience

• Master's or higher degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• Familiarity with turbomachinery design, analysis, and testing
• Experience with finite element analysis using Ansys, Abaqus, NASTRAN or equivalent tools
• Proficiency in Python or other programming languages
• Experience with permanent magnet motors and high-speed motor control, including instrumentation and control systems
• Knowledge of steam or other high-temperature, high-pressure fluid systems, with the ability to analyze and design from first principles
• Demonstrated ability to take products or projects from conception through to manufacturing and final operation
• Familiarity with manufacturing environments, including hands-on assembly, process development, and design for manufacturability.

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Karman Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Karman Industries is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Direct applicants only — we are not working with outside recruiters or agencies for this role.