Hydrogen System Design Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Title: Hydrogen System Design Engineer
Department: Hydrogen
Location: Winchester, VA
Employment Type: Full-Time  

About Our Company:
At Heven AeroTech (Heven), we don't just believe in the power of people—we build our success on it. As a recognized leader in hydrogen-powered drones, we've earned recognition for creating a workplace where innovation thrives, collaboration is second nature, and every employee feels valued. Our culture is anchored in trust and a shared commitment to excellence.

We believe great teams are built on individuals who are  humble, hungry, and smart —those who put team success first, take initiative to continuously improve, and demonstrate strong interpersonal awareness. At Heven, your voice matters, your ideas are heard, and your contributions make a tangible impact as you grow through hands-on experience and collaboration across the team.

Role Summary:
As the Hydrogen System Design Engineer, you will own design updates to our fielded hydrogen generation, storage, and fueling systems, and lead mechanical and process design for future concepts in hydrogen storage, compression, and dispensing. You will work day-to-day alongside engineers who assemble and build each unit and test it and the electronics engineers for controls and instrumentation. Together the team will incorporate lessons from bench and in the field into designs that are safer, more reliable, and ready to scale into production.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Lead design updates to existing hydrogen generation, storage, and fueling systems, resolving issues found in the field or in testing and improving reliability and manufacturability.
• Design future concepts in hydrogen storage, compression, and dispensing, from initial concept and P&IDs through detailed design, tolerancing, and release.
• Select and size pressure-boundary components — valves, regulators, relief devices, vessels, hoses/fittings, and compressors — appropriate for hydrogen service across the relevant pressure ranges.
• Develop and maintain P&IDs, 3D CAD models, and GD&T drawings; working with personnel to manage engineering change control as designs evolve.
• Work directly with assembly and production engineers to ensure designs are buildable, resolve fit-up and build issues, and incorporate assembly feedback into revisions.
• Work directly with test engineers to define test and acceptance criteria, support troubleshooting, and close the loop between test data and design changes.
• Coordinate with electronics engineers on sensor placement, instrumentation, interlocks, and control logic that depends on the mechanical design, including safety shutdowns and fill sequencing.
• Apply relevant codes and standards (such as ASME B31.3, NFPA 2, CGA guidelines, and OSHA 1910.103) and support Process Hazard Analyses / HAZOPs for new and revised designs.
• Produce and maintain engineering documentation — drawing packages, BOMs, assembly and test procedures, and design basis records — sufficient to support manufacturing scale-up.
• Evaluate design alternatives with clear cost and manufacturability trade-offs, while treating safety margin and code compliance as non-negotiable design constraints.
• Support proposals and technical content for government agency programs (e.g., SBIR/STTR, DoD, DOE), including drawings, performance data, and design descriptions.

Qualifications & Experience:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in preferred Mechanical Engineering or a related technical discipline, and equivalent hands-on engineering experience.
• 10+ years of direct experience in design and/or process engineering.
• Design experience with pressurized gas or fluid systems (hydrogen, industrial gas, cryogenic, or similar high-consequence service strongly preferred).
• Experience selecting and specifying high-pressure components such as valves, regulators, relief devices, vessels, and fittings.
• Experience reading and working from engineering drawings, P&IDs, and technical specifications.
• Working knowledge of relevant engineering and design codes and standards (ASME B31.2/B31.3, CGA guidelines, or similar).
• Strong troubleshooting skills and comfort working hands-on with hardware in a lab or production environment.
• Clear, disciplined documentation habits, with the ability to produce technical reports and data packages that others can rely on.
• Safety-first mindset, particularly around hydrogen and high-pressure systems.
• Hands-on problem solver comfortable working directly with test hardware and instrumentation.
• Clear communicator, able to translate technical data into written reports and actionable findings.
• Collaborative team player comfortable working across engineering, production, and quality functions.
• Comfortable traveling occasionally to support field commissioning and site acceptance testing.
• Professional working proficiency in English (spoken and written) is required to perform the responsibilities of this role.
• Professional working proficiency in English (spoken and written) is required to perform the responsibilities of this role.
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future.
• If this role requires access to information controlled under U.S. export control laws (ITAR/EAR), applicants must also qualify as a "U.S. person" under 22 CFR §120.62 (U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual such as an asylee or refugee).

Preferred:

• Professional Engineer (PE) license, in progress toward one, or expected to pursue one soon.
• Direct experience with hydrogen generation, storage, compression, or dispensing systems.
• Background in UAV, aerospace, or defense hardware test programs.
• Familiarity with NFPA 2 and hydrogen-specific safety requirements for test and lab environments.
• Experience supporting hazard analyses (HAZOP, FMEA) for hydrogen or other hazardous-material systems.
• Experience supporting design-for-manufacturing efforts as products move from prototype to scaled production, including supplier qualification.
• Familiarity with defense procurement and export control considerations (ITAR/EAR, MTCR) as they relate to test data and travel.
• Experience contributing technical content to government proposals or capability statements (e.g., SBIR/STTR, DoD, DOE).

Physical Requirements:

• Regularly required to stand, walk, bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and reach while working on test hardware, equipment, and systems on the production floor and in the lab.
• Frequently uses hands and fingers to handle tools, components, fittings, and instrumentation, and to operate hand and power tools with precision.
• Must be able to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 lbs occasionally and up to 25 lbs regularly; assistance or lifting equipment is used for heavier loads.
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, depth perception, and the ability to read engineering drawings, gauges, and displays; ability to distinguish colors for wiring, labeling, and status indicators.
• Sufficient hearing to detect audible alarms, warnings, and equipment cues in an active lab and production environment.
• Sustained periods of desk and computer work for CAD modeling, documentation, and design tasks.
• Must be able to work around and safely operate high-pressure systems, compressed gases, and hydrogen fuel cell hardware, and to wear all required personal protective equipment (PPE) in designated areas.
• Must be able to travel periodically to customer or field sites to support commissioning and site acceptance testing.

Benefits Overview:  
Heven AeroTech offers a competitive benefits package designed to support the health, financial security, and overall well-being of our employees and their families. Benefits in protectional, dental, and vision coverage, retirement plans, paid time off/sick, and additional protections such as critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident coverage, and short- and long-term disability.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: 
Heven AeroTech is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Budgeted Salary Range:

$132,000—$165,000 USD