Senior Modeling & Simulation Engineer: Controls Integration

Job Description

Job Description

About Mainspring

Mainspring Energy manufactures and delivers fuel-flexible, low-emissions local power solutions that rapidly add new capacity and deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric power. The company began commercial shipments of its Mainspring Linear Generators in 2020 and today has hundreds of megawatts in advanced development and field operations for leading Fortune 500 companies, data centers, and utilities. Mainspring also partners with global energy leaders including AEP, NextEra Energy Resources, Schneider Electric, and more.

The  core values that ground our work, guide our decisions, and connect us together:

• Pragmatic Optimism
• Excellence without Ego
• Proactive Collaboration

Job Overview

We have a high impact opportunity for a Modeling and Simulation Engineer to support the design, test, and manufacture of reliable and efficient linear generators at Mainspring Energy.  On the system modeling and simulation team, you will have a central role in refining the way generators are designed by providing the tools through which the control system can be designed and validated.  This role requires a quantitative physical understanding of the way things work combined with a passion and aptitude for software to bring that understanding to light.

Responsibilities

As part of this role, you will:

• Determine the appropriate dynamic response of the generator system to a variety of control commands.   Write numerical models quantifying that behavior for simulation

• Coordinate with controls engineers and navigate code in C++ to understand the inputs and expected response of the controller to sensed generator behavior

• Generate test plans to investigate unknown system behavior or validate observations gleaned from other simulations.  Oversee the execution of those plans on the generator with support from the test team

• Write and debug solvers for dynamic systems written as ordinary differential equations (ODEs) or differential algebraic equations (DAEs)

• Architect custom simulation environments and optimize simulations and develop reduced-order models capable of computing simulated time steps faster than real time on dedicated hardware

• Construct computational dynamic system models using appropriate conservation equations directly in high level programming languages, e.g. python, C++  

• Participate in a robust development process following software best practices

• Participate in peer review of code written in support of modeling, control, and software work throughout the team

• Generate written documentation (presentations, reports, etc) of model design and simulation results for a variety of audiences at Mainspring

Your success in this role will be instrumental in reducing the time it takes to develop, test, and deploy new controls features for linear generators and provide value for our customers.  Having a thumb on the pulse of the generator as a system, you will be collaborating across technical domains, frequently integrating with executives and other leaders of software, mechanical design, and product development.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree (Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical, Chemical, etc) with a strong foundation in applied mathematics

• Strong technical and analytical skills with 5+ years of practical experience in more than one physical domain relevant to linear generators: thermodynamics, electrical systems, fluid dynamics, etc

• Familiarity with numerical techniques for modeling and simulation and their use within existing commercial packages (e.g. Simulink, Dymola, GT-Power, NPSS, etc)

• Experience designing, writing, and validating custom models written in a high-level programming language, e.g. Fortran, C/C++, Python, Julia, etc

This position is a hybrid position (onsite + remote) at our Menlo Park HQ . The salary will be adjusted to reflect local market conditions based on employee location as well as the experience of the employee. Along with the base salary, Mainspring offers pre-IPO stock options + benefits.

Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don’t meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we’d still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background.

In more traditional words, Mainspring Energy, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

This compensation and benefits information is based on Mainspring Energy's estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future. We generally do not negotiate on salary once we have made an offer. The level of pay within the range will depend on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant prior experience and/or education, or particular skills and expertise. New hires joining the company tend to be paid within the starting base pay range noted above, with opportunities to increase pay over time based on development of additional skills, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.