What are the responsibilities and job description for the Design Engineer position at Brightsmith?
Brightsmith are pleased to be partnering with an advanced fuel cell technology company looking to build a product that is manufacturable, cost-effective, reliable, and scalable. This role is for a hands-on, product-focused engineer with experience in high-volume thermal and mechanical systems (e.g., tankless water heaters, boilers, HVAC, or combustion systems) to take ownership of redesigning and industrializing an energy platform. This position is based in Pittsburgh.
This is not a maintenance role. You will be expected to challenge assumptions, identify weaknesses, and rebuild systems the right way.
Why This Role Matters
- Direct influence on product architecture of a next-generation energy system
- Your decisions will impact: Unit cost, Field reliability, Manufacturing scalability
- Opportunity to redesign and build a system the right way from the ground up
What You’ll Do
- Own the mechanical and system-level redesign of an energy product
- Drive design for manufacturability (DFM), assembly (DFA), cost, and reliability
- Re-architect system packaging for:
Thermal management, Serviceability, High-volume production, Reliability
- Identify and eliminate:
Cost drivers, Failure modes, Over-complexity
- Work directly with:
Suppliers, Fabricators, Assembly teams, Lead hands-on production support:
- Act as primary engineering support for production lines
- Troubleshoot issues impacting yield, quality, and output
- Implement corrective actions for recurring problems
- Support line ramp-up and new product introduction
- Translate prototype designs into repeatable production systems
- Implement validation and reliability testing frameworks
- Operate with speed and urgency in a build-and-ship environment
What We’re Looking For
- Experience in high-volume thermal/mechanical product environments
- Proven work on systems such as:
- Tankless water heaters
- Boilers
- HVAC systems
- Combustion or high-temperature systems
- CAD experience (e.g., SolidWorks or similar)
Nice to Have
- Exposure to Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma methodologies
- Strong root cause analysis skills
- Experience scaling from low/mid-volume to high-volume production
- Experience designing and building working prototypes
Skills & Mindset
- Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals (fluids, heat transfer, materials)
- Deep experience with:
Packaging dense thermal systems, High-temperature materials and insulation, Manufacturing processes and cost reduction
- Comfortable working across the full product lifecycle:
- Design → Build → Test → Iterate
Engineering → Manufacturability → Launch → Scale
- Willing to:
Call out problems directly, Get hands-on with first builds, Take ownership of outcomes, Operate with minimal structure, Contribute beyond defined responsibilities
If you are interested please apply below, or reach out directly at a.knight@brightsmithgroup.com