Mechanical Engineer, Innovation

This role is the go-to engineering resource for geothermal innovation at Brightcore, sitting within the Geothermal business unit. This person owns the engineering analysis behind the Innovation roadmap — evaluating new geothermal products and services at every stage of development, from first-light technical feasibility and customer value proposition work, through prototyping and experimentation, to go-to-market testing and full product rollout and scale-up. The role spans multiple concurrent roadmap items at different points in the development chain, unified by rigorous engineering analysis of novel approaches to geothermal heating and cooling. 

• →This position does not have supervisory responsibility.

• Design innovative geothermal heating and cooling solutions, evaluating detailed HVAC, fluid flow, and geothermal modeling for novel approaches.
• Analyze heat transfer and fluid dynamics, and evaluate the performance and efficiency of heat pumps, boilers, chillers, and related HVAC equipment.
• Serve as the go-to technical resource across the Innovation team for geothermal engineering questions.

• Evaluate technical feasibility and customer value proposition for new geothermal innovation roadmap items, from first-light concepts through detailed design.
• Develop techno-economic analyses (TEA) and initial design concepts for novel geothermal products and services.

• Lead prototyping efforts spanning desktop TEA models and lab-based physical prototypes to validate new solutions.
• Design and run experiments on existing systems to generate performance data and test hypotheses.

• Translate engineering analysis into product requirement documents (PRDs) for engineering, product, and business development teams.
• Create go-to-market test materials and technical collateral supporting customer-facing pilots.
• Support initial customer engagements and full product rollout and scale-up as roadmap items mature into commercial offerings.

• Partner with the Brightcore EDGE monitoring team, BCE Design engineering, and business development across the innovation pipeline.
• Prepare drawings, calculations, and study drafts for review by licensed professional engineers 
• All other duties and projects as assigned.

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related field.

• 3–5 years in HVAC, data center design & operation, hydronic, geothermal, or mission-critical mechanical design and analysis.

• Strong grounding in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics; comfort reasoning through equipment performance metrics (COP, EER, approach temperatures, heat transfer rates).

• Working proficiency with energy/load modeling tools (e.g., TRNSYS, EnergyPlus, HAP, or equivalent) and Excel-based engineering models.

• Ability to carry ambiguous concept work — from first-light feasibility through prototype to product requirement — to a defensible, documented result without heavy supervision.

• Fluent with AI tools.
• Ability to do basic coding in python, or quickly come up the learning curve.

• Office presence required at least three (3) days per week, unless otherwise agreed upon with final approval by direct supervisor.
• No additional travel required.

• Office setting.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• This is not a safety sensitive position.

Brightcore Energy is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Brightcore Energy positions require a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verifications, a criminal history check, and a pre-employment drug screen.

In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Brightcore Energy is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Brightcore Energy to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.

We offer a variety of structured work arrangements, including remote, hybrid, and field-based assignments, aligned with organizational needs and role-specific requirements. Work arrangements are role-dependent, with guidelines established based on position requirements and business needs. This policy is subject to change at Brightcore's discretion.

Brightcore currently offers both traditional and Roth 401k plans with a dollar-for-dollar match of up to 3% of contributions and $0.50 on the next 2% for a total potential match of 4% annually.

Brightcore Energy is an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals. We recruit, hire and promote into all job levels the most qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), parental status, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, transgender status, sexual orientation, marital, family or partnership status, political affiliation or activities, military service, domestic violence victim status, sexual or reproductive health decisions, caregiver status, traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles or any other status protected under applicable federal, state and local laws. Brightcore Energy is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all aspects of employment, including job assignment and compensation.

This job description provides a general overview of the expectations and basic duties of the job and is not a comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities. Brightcore Energy will assign additional duties and tasks that it deems necessary to meet the requirements of the position. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.