What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Turbomachinery Engineer position at Approach Venture LLC?
Senior Turbomachinery Engineer - Advanced Power Systems
Hawthorne, California | On-site
Opportunity Summary
We are developing a new generation of compact power systems designed to deliver reliable, scalable energy for emerging industrial and compute infrastructure. By combining advanced turbomachinery, thermal systems, power conversion, and modern manufacturing techniques, our team is building high-performance hardware capable of improving efficiency, power density, and deployment speed. We are seeking a Senior Turbomachinery Engineer to support the design, analysis, development, and testing of the rotating machinery at the core of our platform. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys working across the full hardware lifecycle, from clean-sheet design and analysis through prototype development, testing, validation, and manufacturing.
The ideal candidate brings strong fundamentals in turbomachinery and rotating equipment, paired with a hands-on approach to solving real-world engineering challenges. You will work closely with experienced engineers across fluids, thermal, mechanical, and test disciplines to rapidly develop and validate next-generation power hardware.
About Us
We are a venture-backed energy technology company developing advanced power generation systems for the next generation of industrial and digital infrastructure. Our team combines expertise in turbomachinery, thermal systems, manufacturing, and hardware development to build technologies capable of addressing some of the world's largest energy challenges.
As an early-stage company, engineers have meaningful ownership, broad technical exposure, and the opportunity to directly influence product development through hands-on execution.
Job Duties
Qualifications
Preferred Experience
Why Join Us
Compensation Details
$170,000 - $220,000
Hawthorne, California | On-site
Opportunity Summary
We are developing a new generation of compact power systems designed to deliver reliable, scalable energy for emerging industrial and compute infrastructure. By combining advanced turbomachinery, thermal systems, power conversion, and modern manufacturing techniques, our team is building high-performance hardware capable of improving efficiency, power density, and deployment speed. We are seeking a Senior Turbomachinery Engineer to support the design, analysis, development, and testing of the rotating machinery at the core of our platform. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys working across the full hardware lifecycle, from clean-sheet design and analysis through prototype development, testing, validation, and manufacturing.
The ideal candidate brings strong fundamentals in turbomachinery and rotating equipment, paired with a hands-on approach to solving real-world engineering challenges. You will work closely with experienced engineers across fluids, thermal, mechanical, and test disciplines to rapidly develop and validate next-generation power hardware.
About Us
We are a venture-backed energy technology company developing advanced power generation systems for the next generation of industrial and digital infrastructure. Our team combines expertise in turbomachinery, thermal systems, manufacturing, and hardware development to build technologies capable of addressing some of the world's largest energy challenges.
As an early-stage company, engineers have meaningful ownership, broad technical exposure, and the opportunity to directly influence product development through hands-on execution.
Job Duties
- Design and develop high-speed turbomachinery components from concept through validated hardware
- Perform aerodynamic, thermal, structural, and rotordynamic analyses to guide design decisions and improve performance
- Design turbines, compressors, impellers, shafts, seals, bearings, and supporting rotating hardware
- Develop CAD models, detailed drawings, tolerance analyses, and manufacturing documentation
- Conduct system-level trade studies and performance evaluations
- Support materials selection, design for manufacturing, and design for assembly efforts
- Participate in prototype builds, assembly activities, and hardware integration
- Develop test plans and support turbomachinery test campaigns
- Analyze test data and drive rapid design iteration based on hardware results
- Collaborate closely with fluids, thermal, manufacturing, and test engineering teams
- Work directly with suppliers and manufacturing partners to transition designs into production
- Support troubleshooting, root cause investigations, and continuous product improvement efforts
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical discipline
- 5 years of experience developing turbomachinery or rotating machinery systems
- Experience working with gas turbines, compressors, turbopumps, turboexpanders, steam turbines, turbochargers, or similar rotating equipment
- Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and mechanical design
- Experience performing engineering analysis to support hardware development
- Proficiency with CAD tools such as NX, Creo, SolidWorks, CATIA, Onshape, or similar platforms
- Experience supporting hardware through development, testing, and validation
- Strong communication skills and ability to work within multidisciplinary engineering teams
Preferred Experience
- 7 years of relevant industry experience
- Experience with supercritical CO? systems or advanced power cycles
- Experience performing rotor dynamics and vibration analysis
- Experience supporting turbomachinery test rigs and validation programs
- Experience with high-temperature alloys and demanding thermal environments
- Experience working in startup or rapid product development environments
- Experience integrating simulation tools into iterative hardware development cycles
Why Join Us
- Meaningful early-stage equity ownership
- Full medical, dental, and vision benefits
- Ownership of critical hardware directly impacting system performance
- Opportunity to work across design, analysis, testing, and manufacturing
- Direct collaboration with experienced technical leadership
- Exposure to first-of-kind power generation technology
- Small, highly technical team with significant engineering ownership
- Opportunity to help advance next-generation energy infrastructure
Compensation Details
$170,000 - $220,000
Salary : $170,000 - $220,000