Mechanical Design Engineer

Base Power
Austin, TX
On-site

Who this role is best for

Aimed at mid-level to senior mechanical design engineers who can integrate across domains and adapt to evolving priorities in a startup environment.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with experience in consumer or industrial hardware requiring critical performance and safety considerations
    — “performance is critical to customer satisfaction or safety”
  • Individuals who have worked on thermal and structural analysis for high-performance systems
    — “Perform thermal, stress, and structural analysis”

Things to consider

  • The role requires in-office presence and a high level of adaptability due to the startup nature
    — “We work in-person. It’s not a 9-to-5. We are all-in.”
  • Priorities shift quickly, requiring flexibility in responsibilities and deliverables
    — “priorities shift and evolve quickly”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with statistical tolerance analysis and material selection in high-volume manufacturing
    — “Experience with statistical tolerance analysis on high-volume assemblies”
  • Showcase cross-functional projects involving electrical and mechanical integration
    — “Work with electrical engineers to integrate mechanical design with batteries, wiring, and enclosures”
  • Emphasize your ability to transition from concept design to production-ready hardware
    — “product lifecycle management from concept through production”
  • Demonstrate hands-on prototyping skills, especially with 3D printing and CNC machining
    — “Hands-on experience with prototyping, testing, and manufacturing, including 3D printing and CNC machining”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Individual

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • designed and optimized mechanical components for battery systems
  • integrated mechanical design with electrical systems
Typical background
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering3+ years in mechanical design

Skills & requirements

Required

Mechanical DesignCADEngineering AnalysisMaterial SelectionDFM

Preferred

Battery DesignElectromechanical SystemsSafety Standards

Stack & domain

Mechanical DesignCAD (3D And 2D)Statistical Tolerance AnalysisPrototypingTestingManufacturingMaterials ScienceDFMProduct Lifecycle ManagementCommunicationDocumentationProblem-solvingCollaborationBattery Energy Storage SystemsConsumer/industrial Products

About the role

Original posting from Base Power via Ashby

ABOUT BASE

Base is America’s next-generation power company. We’re rebuilding the foundation of modern civilization–electricity–by deploying a vast network of distributed batteries that is transforming today’s fragile, centralized grid into a resilient and abundant system. We are engineers, operators, and creatives solving some of the most complex, interdisciplinary challenges of our time.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer to design residential and commercial energy products. This person owns mechanical components and assemblies from concept through production - designing reliable, high-performance, manufacturable hardware for battery energy storage systems and related consumer/industrial products.

What You’ll Do

  • Mechanical Design & Development: Own the design, development, and optimization of mechanical components and assemblies for residential battery systems and related hardware.
  • CAD & Prototyping: Create detailed 3D models and prototypes using CATIA 3DX. Produce manufacturing drawings with proper GD&T and tolerance stacks.
  • Engineering Analysis: Perform thermal, stress, and structural analysis - hand calcs and simulation - to validate performance, safety, and reliability.
  • Material Selection & Manufacturing: Select materials based on performance, cost, and manufacturability. Work with suppliers and manufacturers to hold quality and production standards.
  • Cross-Domain Integration: Work with electrical engineers to integrate mechanical design with batteries, wiring, and enclosures for reliable, safe performance.
  • Design for Manufacturability: Apply DFM to make designs cost-effective and easy to build at volume - accounting for tooling, processes, and assembly.
  • Testing & Validation: Create test plans, set up tests, and analyze results to confirm products meet standards and requirements.

What You'll Bring

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
  • 3+ years in mechanical design for consumer or industrial hardware where performance is critical to customer satisfaction or safety - e.g., cars, laptops, power tools.
  • Proficiency in CAD (3D and 2D) and statistical tolerance analysis.
  • Hands-on experience with prototyping, testing, and manufacturing, including 3D printing and CNC machining.
  • Working knowledge of materials science - how materials behave under thermal and mechanical loads, and how to select them for the application.
  • Understanding of DFM and the ability to collaborate with manufacturing to ensure designs can be produced efficiently.
  • Experience with product lifecycle management from concept through production - part release, documentation, sustaining, and obsolescence.
  • Strong communication and documentation skills, able to present technical concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience designing enclosures or structural assemblies for battery, power-electronics, or other thermally and electrically demanding systems.
  • Experience with statistical tolerance analysis on high-volume assemblies.
  • Familiarity with safety standards relevant to energy storage or electromechanical products.

Please note: Base is a startup, which means priorities shift and evolve quickly. Your role may expand or change based on the needs of the business at any given time, so the responsibilities listed may not be exhaustive.

OUR VALUES

  • First Principles Thinking: Question assumptions. Principles > rules.
  • Operate at Base Pace: Focus on what matters, act quickly, and learn by doing.
  • Give & Get Feedback: Be direct, be humble, and maintain a growth mindset.
  • Everyone’s an Owner: Follow through on commitments and own results.
  • Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: Drive clarity and make calls with imperfect information.
  • Committed to the Mission: Rebuilding the grid is a big challenge. We work hard because we care deeply about the impact we’re creating. We work in-person. It’s not a 9-to-5. We are all-in.
  • Fun & Optimism Coexist with Grit: Collaboration and celebration coincide with the intensity of building real things.

DO THE BEST WORK OF YOUR LIFE AT BASE.

Source: Base Power careers (Ashby)

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