Energy Recovery is seeking a qualified candidate for an immediate full-time job opening for the position of Senior R&D Engineer, located in San Leandro, CA and reporting to the Engineering Manager (Product Design). The R&D department is a dynamic group of engineers and technicians with a wide range of backgrounds, several of them holding PhD and Masters Degrees. We are looking for a talented and energetic candidate who can thrive in a team environment and lead/support R&D projects for developing and delivering innovative products for energy recovery applications.
The position requires industry experience in heating & cooling industry (HVACR) and a well-rounded expertise in thermodynamics, vapor compression cycles, heat transfer as well as mechanical & thermal design of HVACR components. This position is responsible for hands-on development - component design/sizing/selection, analysis, prototype fabrication, test loop design, instrumentation selection, experimental validation, troubleshooting and release of rotating equipment such as pressure exchangers for HVACR applications. A sound knowledge base in machine design, dynamics and vibrations is required. Expertise in use of CAD packages such as SolidWorks, FE Analysis tools such as ANSYS, Simulink/SimScape, Modelica, CFX/Fluent etc. is highly desirable. The candidate will spend bulk of his time working with a multidisciplinary team to develop disruptive technologies and products based on our proprietary isobaric pressure exchangers. In addition, the candidate will be providing 1D modeling and design support to various NTI/NPI projects including validation testing. The position also requires strategic outlook for technology and products towards enhancing their commercial applications.
Major Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead R&D projects (NTI/NPI) involving fluid machines and thermal system components such as pressure exchangers, compressors, heat exchangers, valves, centrifugal and reciprocating pumps, turbines, turbochargers etc. for HVACR, Water & Wastewater applications.
• Lead / participate in the entire development cycle including 1-D sizing (mechanical, thermal & hydraulic), engineering analyses, validation test rig development, experimental validation & release to manufacturing.
• Run detailed thermodynamic analyses to optimize the vapor compression cycle for highest coefficient of performance
• Design components and assemblies and drive the development of detailed engineering drawings with appropriate GD&T while optimizing for manufacturability & quality.
• Perform stress and deflection analysis, rotor dynamics, and vibration analysis.
• Leverage commercial tools such as SolidWorks for CAD, MatLab / SimScape / Modelica and Python for 1-D/2-D analysis, ANSYS Mechanical for structural analysis, CFX/Fluent for hydraulic flow path design optimization etc.
• Design prototype and component validation test rigs, integrate sensors, controls, data acquisition hardware/software (LabVIEW based) to obtain high quality data, perform validation testing in the lab and support pilot/beta testing at remote field sites.
• Develop validation test plans and work closely with testing team to confirm and validate model predictions. Use commercial (e.g. Matlab) and open-source (e.g. Python) software to process test data and draw physics based insights and inputs for models & optimization.
• Work closely with the Product Engineering, Testing, Project Management Office, Manufacturing, Quality Control & Business Units to successfully deliver on NPI/NTI projects.
• Follow ERI's internal technology and development processes (PDLCM/RDF) and drive rigorous design reviews / documentation at each phase.
• Provide technical support to business units, manufacturing, project engineering and marketing teams as needed.
• Other duties & projects as assigned.
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Skills & Requirements:

• Master's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering with concentration in thermal systems/ refrigeration / HVACR / Energy systems or similar field.
• 5 years of relevant industry experience required.
• Proficiency with commercial CAD packages such as SolidWorks is required.
• Experience with mechanical design, and/or selection, validation of rotodynamic & reciprocating fluid machines such as compressors, pumps, turbines, is required.
• Hands on experience with assembly, testing and experimentation, sensors/transducers (to measure pressure, temperature, flow rate, vibration, position, pressure pulsations, noise etc.), controls/data acquisition, data collection languages (e.g. LabVIEW) is required.
• Knowledge of HVACR fundamentals required. Familiarity with trans-critical refrigeration or heat pump systems using R744 (CO2) highly desirable.
• Proficiency in steady state and transient reduced-order, 1D modeling of single phase and multi-phase flows using commercial tools such as Simulink / SimScape, Modelica, GT-Suite or equivalent is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in multi-phase CFD analysis of rotating equipment using ANSYS CFX/Fluent or Star CCM would be a plus.
• Familiarity with design of high pressure mechanical systems, developing manufacturing drawings, GD&T, stack-up analysis, RCA, DFMEA, HAZOP desirable.
• Familiarity with engineering standards such as ASHRAE / AHRI / UL / PED / ASME BPVC / API / ANSI / NFPA etc. is a plus.
• Must possess a demonstrated ability to work/lead in a team environment, under pressure, manage multiple tasks, and be goal oriented.
• Ability to oversee and execute on assigned projects from start to completion in a highly analytical, detailed and precise manner.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Position may require up to 10% travel.

$130,000 - $160,000 a year
The below range is the range that we reasonably believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California. This range may be modified in the future. The salary range for this role is $130,000 to $160,000