What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Mechanical Engineer position at Cala Systems?
About Cala Systems, Inc.
Cala designs and builds intelligent heat pump water heaters that redefine the water heating industry. Combining advanced sensors, hardware, and predictive controls, Cala’s system learns each home’s unique hot water needs to improve hot water comfort, maximize savings, minimize carbon emissions, and provide first-of-a-kind features such as integrating with home solar and battery systems. Built by energy and hardware industry veterans and backed by leading climate and water investors, Cala will begin deliveries in 2025.
The Role, At-a-Glance
Cala is seeking a Boston-area Senior Mechanical Engineer to take a leading role in the day-to-day hardware and manufacturing development to drive the product through a successful launch and beyond. This role is onsite; in the near-term time will be split between our Somerville office at Greentown Labs and our Wilmington HQ, and will transition fully to Wilmington in the medium term. Responsibilities may include infrequent travel within the US.
What Will I Do?
As a core part of the Cala Engineering team, you will:
- Work within a collaborative crossfunctional team to drive day-to-day hardware and manufacturing development enabling a rapid, successful product launch - this includes developing and optimizing hardware design at all levels of complexity, from component to subsystem to fully integrated architecture
- Leverage engineering best practices to define technical targets, test protocols, and success criteria
- Help drive forward key launch activities including manufacturing preparation, quality testing, field testing, product certification, and supply chain management
- Get your hands dirty - everything from CAD design to building simple breadboard prototypes to testing fully developed pilot units to building a high level of confidence for a successful launch
- Conduct testing then interpret the results to make informed design iterations so we can build and test some more until it’s right
What Qualifications Do I Need?
You have a proven track record in hardware design, including:
- BSc in Mechanical Engineering or a similar technical field with at least 5-7 years of experience in hardware design and a proven track record in a product development environment
- Ability to build and design complex assemblies in CAD, preferably Solidworks
- Strong hands-on skills, including the ability to build, test, and debug everything from quick-and-dirty prototypes all the way to pre-production by 3D printing, milling, and turning
- Fundamental knowledge of QC procedures and process controls for high volume manufacturing
- Success in executing the designing/building/implementation of capital equipment
- Strong analytical skills - the ability to understand the problem-to-be-solved on a deep level and interpret results on more than just a superficial level
- General knowledge of manufacturing best practices including DFM, part selection, and BOM creation
- High comfort level within a fast-paced environment - you’ll be helping to build from the ground up so it’s important to be flexible and capable of adapting to moving targets
- Self-starting attitude - while Cala is a highly collaborative team environment, we’re looking for candidates who can take take a general direction then run with it and make it their own
- Extra credit if you have experience in any of the following: consumer products, manufacturing, IOT products, electronics and software controls, and/or experience with CFD and FEA, experience with thermal sciences and/or heat pump design
Want to Learn More?
Please email careers@calasystems.com with your resume, portfolio, and brief thoughts on:
- Why are you interested in joining a climate tech company/how does it fit with your goals?
- When the time comes for reference calls, what will your colleagues say about you?
- What’s your proudest professional achievement? Why?
