Thermal Design Engineer

All across the world, from the azure pools of Turkey and Oman to the travertine terraces of Yellowstone, our planet quietly pulls carbon dioxide from the air and turns it to stone. For eons, Earth has relied on this process to balance its carbon cycle. What if it could be harnessed? What if we could do it faster, in larger quantities, and at a low enough cost to make it an effective tool in the fight against climate change?

At Heirloom, we are turning that into reality. We use the natural carbon capture properties of abundant minerals to pull CO2 from the air, and store it permanently underground. We come to work every day to slow climate change, and are united behind a single, common goal - to remove 1 billion tons of CO2 from the sky by 2035, and to not stop before we get there.

We bring together the precise recipe of science, technology, know-how, and strategy necessary to make low cost, high quality carbon removal a reality. If we're successful, we will directly mitigate climate change, build a world we can proudly hand over to our children and grandchildren, and catalyze an industry that will rival the largest the world has ever seen. If you want to change the planet, come join us.

As temperatures continue to rise, individuals from marginalized communities will face the harshest impacts of climate change. We believe wholeheartedly that building a diverse company is critical to Heirloom's success. To accomplish this, we've put recruiting, hiring and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups at the top of our priority list.

We encourage you to apply if you identify as Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Hispanic or Latino, LGBTQ+ – or with any other underrepresented group – even if you don't tick all the boxes in the description below.

As a Thermal Design Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in developing Heirloom's regeneration and thermal solutions technology. Your primary responsibility will be to design, build, and manage experimental setups for the thermal decomposition process. Your contributions will be towards hands on development and supporting translation of thermal technologies into designs, specifications, and production from pilot to deployed systems. Your design of new thermal solutions is essential, so that as a company we can anticipate and enable our revolutionary direct air capture process. Be an integral member of a multi-functional collaborative team that defines and develops thermal solutions from concept to production.

You will be responsible for designing and implementing experimental setups aimed at studying the thermal decomposition of CaCO3 into CaO. On this team, the goals and objectives are carried out through a high degree of collaboration and use of state-of-the-art methods and technologies, analytical and computational analysis, and laboratory validation. These methods and processes are developed within our technology team. Part of your responsibility is driving trade-offs and validation aligned with product goals and contributing to thermal solution designs from conceptualization through mass production. Collaboration with cross-functional teams is crucial to enhance our comprehension and efficiency of the regeneration process. You will design new thermal solutions to enable Heirloom's next generation of regeneration systems and perform thermal simulations using industry standard CFD tools. Additionally, you will characterize thermal designs and assemblies: Building-up physical prototype assemblies, instrumenting those assemblies for testing, carrying out testing with specific diagnostic software, summarizing data, disassembling, modifying and reassembling systems. Lastly, you will present analysis summaries and test reports

Preferred candidates for this position hold a PhD, although those with a robust background in Engineering, Science, or a related field at the MS or BS level will also be considered. The ideal candidate should possess demonstrated expertise in designing, instrumenting, and analyzing intricate experimental setups, showcasing a strong foundation in data analysis and proficiency in modeling, especially CFD (Computation Fluid Dynamics) for thermal design. You should have a deep understanding and passion for heat transfer and fluid dynamics. Also, strong proficiency in at least one thermal simulation tool like Ansys Fluent and hands-on experience and proficiency in thermal testing (i.e., thermal sensors, using automated data acquisition, system assembly, and data analysis techniques). A hands-on approach with meticulous attention to detail in experimental work is essential, coupled with the ability to troubleshoot effectively when experimental data deviates from expectations.

You don't have to have every listed requirement and skill to be a great fit - you may even teach us something about what we should be looking for If you are passionate about this opportunity and think you have the skills to succeed, please apply

Radical Honesty means we are open, transparent, and inclusive in everything we do. We aren't scared to challenge each other, but bring clear motives and our best intentions when we do.

Persistent Optimism means we carry an infinite amount of optimistic energy with us on our journey, constantly chipping away at what may seem insurmountable.

Maximize our learning ratemeans we're always in discovery mode. Compounding knowledge is our key to victory - we continuously hone our crafts, seek the fastest paths to new learning, and are quick to absorb new knowledge.

• We are solving the engineering problem of our generation. Climate change is an existential threat, and we need as many of the world's motivated minds as possible to help. There is no greater challenge or opportunity than fighting climate change.
• We have done this before. We're engineers, scientists, and concerned humans from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who are pooling our knowledge and skills to collectively build a more equitable, prosperous future for all.
• We are a united, resilient, and optimistic bunch. We are all here for the same reason - to slow climate change. We recognize the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us, and believe we can solve it. We can see a hopeful future where we eventually reverse climate change. It won't be easy, but we won't quit.
• We are backed by the best climate partners in the world. We're well funded by investors from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ahren Innovation Capital, Carbon Direct, Microsoft, Lowercarbon Capital, ARPA-e and the National Science Foundation. Our early customers include Stripe, Shopify, and Klarna, and we're building durable partnerships that enable us to tackle this decades-long problem.

• Robust health coverage. Excellenthealth, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by Heirloom. FSA option.
• Generous parental leave. 16 weeks paid leave for all Heirloom employees, regardless of primary/secondary caregiver status.
• Generous stock options.
• Flexible time off. Unlimited PTO for exempt (salaried) employees & 80 hours for full time non-exempt (hourly) employees.
• 401(k).
• Stay healthy. Monthly health and wellness reimbursement.
• Learn on the job. Robust annual education and conference budget, including airfare and hotel costs.