Engineering Manager

Description

Fervo Energy is applying first-principles engineering and a manufacturing mindset to geothermal power, an industry that has operated the same way for decades. Rather than deploying one-off energy projects, we are building standardized, repeatable GeoBlocks designed to get cheaper, faster, and more reliable with every iteration. 

Fervo deploys an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plant to convert heat to electricity. At the heart of the power plant is heat transfer and fluid handling equipment, including the air-cooled condenser, shell-and-tube heat exchangers, feed pumps, pressure vessels, and the piping and cabling that connect them. That equipment is the biggest driver of the power plant construction cost, footprint, and thermal performance, which makes it the place where designing a product instead of a project pays off the most.

The Engineering Manager owns the ORC equipment and plant layout: everything in the power cycle except the turbine and generator. That means the air-cooled condenser, heat exchangers, pumps, piping, cabling layout, and associated low-voltage equipment. You own design, cost, and schedule for that scope from preliminary design through startup, on every project in every basin Fervo builds in. You lead a cross-functional team of process, mechanical, electrical, and structural/civil engineers and are accountable for schedule, budget, cost forecasting, quality of work, and the performance of the OEMs and suppliers who build the equipment. You will work every day with the electrical, controls, turbine and pipeline teams, as well as with Supply Chain, Construction, and Operations. We are looking for an engineer who knows thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid systems cold, has led and grown a team of engineers before, and has shipped real hardware in a manufacturing or hardware business. This role reports to the Director of Engineering.

Requirements

Responsibilities

• Own budget, schedule, and technical execution for the ORC equipment and layout scope, including air-cooled condenser, heat exchangers, recuperators, feed pumps, piping, cabling layout, and associated low-voltage equipment, across all projects and basins 
• Take responsibility from preliminary design through detailed engineering, analysis, procurement, fabrication, construction, commissioning, and startup, and hand it over to Operations  
• Own the plant layout and 3D model: where the equipment sits, how the pipe and cable are routed, and whether people can build it, reach it, and maintain it.  
• Support the whole group's design reviews and disseminate higher level requirements to the group to help them determine their individual equipment and system requirements  
• Own how our OEMs perform on your equipment: evaluate technical bids, own the specifications and datasheets, review vendor drawings, run factory acceptance tests and inspection plans. Supply Chain owns the commercial side; you own the technical side, and you work as one team 
• Make the heat exchange train cheaper and better with every version using thermal analysis, process simulation, and performance data 
• Hire, mentor and lead a team of engineers while holding a high technical bar, driving individual ownership and ensuring everyone understands the priorities/goals of the company 
• Help build out processes and strategy that will allow for an order of magnitude scaling in both speed and number of deployed units. This encompasses technical infrastructure, communication practices and technical capability. 

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or another engineering discipline 
• 6+ years of professional engineering experience designing, building, and delivering hardware in a manufacturing, energy, aerospace, automotive, or heavy industrial environment 
• Experience directly managing an engineering team, including hiring, performance management, and technical mentorship 
• Experience owning a piece of equipment or a system from concept and design through analysis, procurement, build, test, and startup or production release 
• Track record of high performance in a fast-paced, fast-scaling, or manufacturing-mode environment 
• A highly collaborative approach and dedication to continuous improvement 
• Willingness to travel to project sites and OEM facilities as needed, including time in the field during construction, commissioning, and startup 

Preferred 

• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, Inventor, NX, Creo or similar) or plant design tools (AutoCAD Plant 3D, SmartPlant, Revit or similar) 
• Strong thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics background applied to heat exchangers, air-cooled condensers, pumps, and ORC, steam, or refrigeration cycles 
• Experience with thermal and process analysis tools such as HTRI, Aspen HYSYS or CFD  
• Working knowledge of the codes and standards this equipment is built to including ASME B31.1/B31.3 piping and ASME Section VIII pressure vessels, API 610/660/661and NFPA 
• Experience managing OEMs and suppliers, including technical bid evaluation, vendor drawing review, factory acceptance testing (FAT), and inspection and test plans (ITPs) 
• Piping design, pipe stress analysis, pipe support, and plant layout experience 
• Experience running design reviews, change control, and standardizing or modularizing a product that used to be built one at a time 
• Hands-on commissioning and startup experience with rotating equipment, heat exchangers, or process piping systems 
• Power generation, geothermal, renewable energy, oil and gas, or chemical process facilities background 
• Experience working with EPC contractors and managing multiple projects simultaneously 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 

WHO THRIVES AT FERVO 

• We screen for attributes as much as experience. The people who do best here share a few things in common: 
• First-principles thinkers who question industry norms and trace problems back to physics and economics 
• Individuals who have an extreme ownership mindset and a bias for speed and iteration 
• Simplifiers who cut complexity relentlessly  
• Collaborators who see engineering and the business as inseparable 
• Individuals who are mission-driven and motivated to push the larger goals of the company forward