Senior Machinist / R&D Specialist

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

Mainspring Energy is searching for a motivated Sr. Machinist capable of supporting the needs of our engineering development lab at our Menlo Park facility. In this position you will work with a small team and manage the daily workload and respond to projects needing precision machining in metals and composite materials. This position produces complex R&D prototype machined parts and components by programming, setting up, and operating computer numerical control, vertical mills, lathes, and traditional machines. Maintains quality and safety standards and maintains supplies and equipment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversees and coordinates all day-to-day operational and support activities of the shop, ensures that work production meets the objectives, specifications, and standards, and that all applicable operating policies and procedures are adhered to
• Operate standard equipment, i.e. vertical milling machines, band saw, drill press, and measuring tools to produce prototype parts
• Consult with engineers regarding design, capacity and purpose, and types of materials to be used for fabrication
• Analyze written specifications, drawings, rough sketches, and oral instructions to plan layout and determine sequence of operations. Plans machining by studying work orders, engineering plans, materials, specifications, drawings, reference planes, locations of surfaces, and machining parameters; interprets geometric dimensions and tolerances
• Works with engineers to evaluate processes and recommends changes or modifications for efficiency and adaptability to setup and production
• May review, evaluate, and make recommendations for purchases such as supplies, materials, and/or equipment
• May supervise the work of employees engaged in shop production and production support activities, to include recommendations for hiring, termination, performance evaluation, training, work allocation, and problem resolution
• Maintains current knowledge with respect to relevant state-of-the-art technology, equipment, and/or systems
• Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned
• Produces custom tooling and fixture design as needed for complex prototypes

Minimum Job Requirements

• High school diploma or GED; at least 7 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified
• Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• Experience with MasterCAM, 5 axis programming
• Ability to operate standard and specialized equipment to produce prototype parts
• Ability to perform standard shop computations
• Skill in production of parts with extremely close tolerances
• Ability to perform experimental set ups and complex machining procedures
• Work in a collaborative environment
• Ability to read, understand, follow, and enforce safety procedures
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of individuals in a diverse community
• Leadership skills
• Ability to supervise and train employees on basic machine operations
• Working knowledge of geometric dimensions and tolerances
• Working knowledge of AutoCAD, Solid Works and/or related CAD software
• Knowledge of American National Standards Institute - ANSI

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

• Moderate physical activity. Requires handling of average-weight objects up to 25 pounds or standing and/or walking for more than four (4) hours per day
• Work environment involves some exposure to hazards or physical risks, which require following basic safety precautions
• Work may involve moderate exposure to unusual elements, such as extreme temperatures, dirt, dust, fumes, smoke, unpleasant odors, and/or loud noises

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.

This position is onsite 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 base salary, Mainspring offers pre-IPO company equity through Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) + benefits.