Mechanical Engineering Design Tech I

Power conversion is the bottleneck between the compute, energy, and mobility industries and the future they’re trying to build. We’re a venture-backed hardtech company in Redwood City, building power conversion technology for data centers, EVs, and energy systems. Several products are already moving into production.
We hire people who own problems end-to-end: power electronics, embedded software, controls, test and validation, mechanical design. We’re past “promising technology.” Customers are buying, volume is coming, and the people who join now set the standard everyone builds on after.
You’ll defend a design decision with data, and drop it just as fast when better data shows up.
You understand that automotive standards aren’t a formality. Qualification, reliability, and durability requirements exist because failure in the field is expensive and dangerous, and you treat them as real constraints, not checkboxes to satisfy on the way to the interesting part.
If a program is off track, you say so immediately with enough details that someone can act on it. Our Engineering Approach Solve customer problems, not engineering puzzles. Great technical work becomes exceptional when it creates reliable products, enables meaningful new capability, and solves real customer problems.
Apply the engineering rigor the risk requires. Deliver quality work on time, improve how the team works, and leave the products, systems, tools, and people around you better than you found them.
About the role This role is about taking mechanical designs to automotive-grade production. You’ll understand the spec, including automotive qualification requirements, deliver against it, and say something the moment it’s at risk. If a design won’t hold up under vibration testing, or a supplier is slipping, we want to know at week one, not week six.
We just don’t reward cleverness that doesn’t serve the spec. Areas of ownership Mechanical design Lead mechanical integration of electric machines and powertrain hardware: rotors, stators, housings, shafts, bearings, cooling systems, structures, enclosures, interfaces
Analysis and validation Own DVP/DVP&R that connects requirements, including automotive qualification requirements, to actual evidence
Run or guide structural, thermal, fatigue, and tolerance analysis at the depth the risk actually requires
Correlate analysis against physical test results
Production scaling Take designs from prototype toward automotive-grade production: repeatable, qualifiable, manufacturable at volume
Work with suppliers and manufacturing to resolve quality, cost, and assembly issues at production scale
Cross-functional work Work with Electric Machine Design, Power Electronics, Embedded Software, Controls, Test Systems, Manufacturing, and Program Management
Communicate requirements, risks, and status without being asked
Technical foundation You’ll likely have working knowledge of some mix of the following:
Mechanical design of complex electromechanical systems
CAD, engineering drawings, design documentation
GD&T and tolerance-stack analysis
First-principles analysis and FEA
Rotor dynamics, fatigue, or thermal analysis
Automotive qualification standards (AEC-Q, ISO 16750, or similar)
DFMEA or equivalent risk assessment
Root-cause analysis and structured problem solving
Experience A bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field, or equivalent demonstrated experience. Several years developing complex electromechanical, powertrain, rotating-machinery, or similarly demanding hardware, ideally including exposure to automotive qualification or production scaling.
Strong backgrounds may also come from transmissions, aerospace, industrial machinery, energy systems, robotics, or any product where mechanical decisions carried real performance and reliability consequences.
What success looks like in year one You’ve moved at least one design meaningfully closer to automotive‑grade production, on schedule, with limited avoidable rework
When something was at risk, you flagged it early enough that it wasn’t a surprise
Your experience, qualifications, training, critical skills, and/or business considerations determine your compensation. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package that may include an annual performance bonus, equity, and other incentive compensation plans considered part of Tau’s total compensation package. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate excellence in their respective fields and possess the ability to learn quickly within a fast‑paced environment.
Become part of an emerging company during a rapid growth phase—within an industry undergoing dramatic transformation for a global imperative.

Work with some of the smartest and most talented experts from different fields to: (1) attack some of the most pressing issues of today while (2) contributing to technically demanding and deeply innovative solutions.

Competitive compensation based upon experience level, including stock options—we believe in capturing value in the future we create together.

Flexible x ...

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Tau is an equal opportunity employer that guarantees a work environment that respects and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.