Thermal System Engineer

Gradient’s mission is to cool the world by transforming every home to be more comfortable and healthy for the people who inhabit it — without compromising the environment. Today, heating and cooling equipment emit more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector, and expansion in the use of cooling is projected to double these emissions in the next 30 years. However, comfortable buildings are critical for health and productivity, especially among communities that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Gradient’s vision is a future where everyone has access to comfortable buildings that are fully decarbonized. Our launch product is a direct-to-consumer high-efficiency and low-carbon heat pump.

As a Thermal System Engineer, you will work with all components of our heat pump product to figure out how to deliver the best performance and user experience. You will be expected to understand and analyze the performance of our vapor-compression refrigeration loop. You will run experiments, and leverage both models and data to drive engineering decisions. You will collaborate across functions to create an understanding of our products’ health and operating states, as well as develop strategies to enhance efficiency and comfort.

Responsibilities:

• Drive changes to product software and hardware based on insights from thermal system analysis.
• Design and run experiments, process and understand results, and identify paths forward.
• Address issues during in-house testing and in the field. Perform analysis, evaluate risk, determine root causes, and propose improvements.
• Create diagnostic methods to identify issues, ideally prior to the customer knowing there's an issue.
• Identify subpar operation or blindspots in product operation.
• Make recommendations on the kind of data that should be generated for logging.
• Collaborate with software/controls engineers to enable new firmware algorithms.

Desired Qualifications:

• Minimum MS in Engineering or Physics
• Fundamental understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer
• Experience with analyzing data from physical sensors to draw conclusions about larger systems
• Experience with building/assembling/troubleshooting mechanical systems
• Experience with instrumentation, data collection, and data analysis, e.g. using LabVIEW or microcontroller-based DAQ systems
• Proficient with Matlab, Python/SciPy, or similar
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to cross-functional audiences 

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with C/C++
• Experience with embedded software development
• Experience with creating physics-based models to gain system insight and drive product enhancements

Benefits 

• Equity

• Medical/vision/dental/life/disability insurance

• 401k

• Paid parental leave

• Professional Development Stipen

• Commuter benefits

• Unlimited PTO 

• Relocation package ( out of state applicants only ) 

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive company. We seek to create a culture where everyone can belong because we believe that people do their best work when they can show up every day as their authentic selves. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives.

Gradient Comfort is an equal opportunity employer. We do not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or genetic information, in compliance with applicable federal, state and local law.