Job Description

This in an extraordinary opportunity to come in at the ground floor of a fast growing, ultra-high impact CleanTech startup. We at Blue Frontier are racing to solve arguably the biggest sustainability problem in the world using disruptive technology and business models. Air conditioning is the fastest growing use of electricity in the US and globally. If present trends continue, by 2050 air conditioning electricity consumption will be bigger than the combined electricity consumption of China and India today!

Blue Frontier’s AC system combines dew-point-style sensible cooling with liquid desiccant dehumidification to reduce electricity use by up to 90%. The desiccant is recharged and stored when electricity is the cleanest or lowest cost, and later used to deliver cooling when electricity is dirty or costly. These features enable our system to solve an array of today’s largest sustainability problems — from the Duck Curve to peak load management, from humidity control to integration of intermittent renewable resources.

Working within the Science Department and the Product Development Department, the R&D Engineer will be responsible for supporting those departments in the design and execution of scientific tests, analysis of test results, design and assembly of test fixtures and other supporting tasks that will help drive the performance optimization, reliability, robustness and quality of the core processes in the Blue Frontier HVAC systems.

To the ideal candidate, this position is an opportunity to create products with the potential to literally change the world for the better. If you are creative, personable, highly responsible, passionate, intelligent, and driven, you should join us.


Roles and Responsibilities

Test System Design and Specification

  • Assist the Principal Scientist with the design and specification of tests covering topic areas of Water Transport Systems (including wicking performance), fluid-air interaction, materials performance, surface treatments and other topics of a critical nature to the performance of Blue Frontier HVAC technology
  • Interface with the Product Development team to understand roadmap and incorporate into test objectives and priorities


Test Fixture/Component Design & Prototyping

  • Design of custom test fixtures for validation in a system
  • Production or procurement of components – working in our workshop or with our workshop technicians when needed and sometimes with 3rd party suppliers
  • Assembly of test fixtures


Test Execution, Data Gathering & Analysis

  • Executing scientific tests under the supervision of the Principal Scientist
  • Gathering and recording test results including soft material mechanical properties
  • Analysis of test results including Root Cause Analysis
  • Work with the Principal Scientist to create innovative solution paths and directions for further research to enhance performance, reliability and quality of the end product
  • Assist the Product Development team with experiments to characterize early prototype designs


Skills & Capabilities

Education & Experience

  • 3-5 years relevant industry experience in product/technology development, mechanical engineering, physical science or other related hands-on Research and Development area
  • BS or MS in Mechanical, Materials or Aerospace Engineering from a top 100 university


Technical Skills

  • Thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer knowledge
  • Hands-on aptitude: be able to conceptualize, design and build prototypes and test set-ups with the needed mechanical and electrical/electronic controls and data collection capability
  • Understand fluid flow and heat transfer fundamentals and measurement tools to determine thermal efficiency and flow distribution in complex material structure
  • Familiar with Solidworks for 3D CAD drawing and Visio Apps
  • Familiar with soft material mechanical properties and measurements including tensile, tear, bending/stiffness and burst strength
  • Familiar with pressure vessels, pumps, valves, mechanical fittings, sensors and electronic controls
  • Familiar with operating in a machine shop/workshop environment and the necessary tools to create customized parts for complex system design
  • Experience with 3D printing for custom design and prototyping of small fixtures: a “plus”
  • Some experience with software development for controls and test systems (e.g. visual basic, LABVIEW): a “plus”
  • Proficient with MS office including Word, Excel, and Power Point


Compensation and Benefits

Salary

Highly competitive salary commensurate with the position and level of capabilities of the applicant.

Benefits

Medical and dental insurance. Paid vacation and holidays.


Location and Travel

This role will be based in our Boca Raton facility which is located close to Boca Raton Tri-Rail station. No significant amount of travel is anticipated.


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