Head of Turbomachinery Technology

Freeform builds AI-native manufacturing systems that unify software, hardware, and physics to produce industrial-scale parts at the speed of human ideation. By treating manufacturing as a single integrated system, we unlock a new era of innovation where complex hardware is designed, built, and scaled without limits. 

As Head of Turbomachinery Technology, you will build and lead a new engineering division at Freeform. You will set the technical direction for rotating machinery designed around what metal 3D printing makes possible: integrated geometries, fewer parts, and performance that casting and machining cannot reach. You will take new architectures from first-principles analysis through hardware test, working alongside the teams that build our printing technology. 

We’re looking for a hands-on turbomachinery expert who has taken hardware from concept to test stand and wants to define the next generation of the field. This is a founding leadership role with direct access to senior leadership and room to grow the division. 

• →Establish and lead the turbomachinery division, including technical strategy, roadmap, team structure, and hiring 
• →Lead aerodynamic and thermo-mechanical design of compressors, turbines, and pumps built for additive manufacturing 
• →Define the design rules, analysis methods, and validation approach for rotating hardware produced on Freeform’s platform 
• →Direct rotordynamics, structural, and life analysis, including fatigue, creep, and vibration 
• →Plan and run component and rig testing, and correlate results with CFD and FEA models 
• →Work with materials, process, simulation, controls, and manufacturing engineers to feed what you learn back into our printing technology 
• →Own schedule, budget, and technical risk for division programs 
• →Recruit, mentor, and develop a team of turbomachinery engineers 

• Establish and lead the turbomachinery division, including technical strategy, roadmap, team structure, and hiring 
• Lead aerodynamic and thermo-mechanical design of compressors, turbines, and pumps built for additive manufacturing 
• Define the design rules, analysis methods, and validation approach for rotating hardware produced on Freeform’s platform 
• Direct rotordynamics, structural, and life analysis, including fatigue, creep, and vibration 
• Plan and run component and rig testing, and correlate results with CFD and FEA models 
• Work with materials, process, simulation, controls, and manufacturing engineers to feed what you learn back into our printing technology 
• Own schedule, budget, and technical risk for division programs 
• Recruit, mentor, and develop a team of turbomachinery engineers 

• Master’s or PhD in a relevant field 
• Proficiency with CFD and FEA tools and experience correlating models to test data 
• Experience leading engineers or technical programs 
• Experience with high-speed, high-temperature, cryogenic, or supercritical fluid machinery 
• Hands-on experience with bearings, seals, and rotor balancing 
• Experience building or commissioning turbomachinery test rigs and facilities 
• Familiarity with nickel superalloys and other high-performance materials 
• Background in a startup or fast-paced R&D environment 
• Experience building a technical team from scratch 

• Based in Hawthorne, our vertically integrated facility brings technology development, R&D, and production together under one roof. We operate at the center of LA’s deep tech ecosystem, surrounded by some of the most ambitious hardware innovation happening anywhere in the country. 
• Our fast-paced, cross-functional environment is built on close collaboration, and as such, this role requires full-time onsite presence (five days a week), with very limited exceptions.