Description

About PowerDrive Thermal

PowerDrive Thermal is commercializing a waste heat recovery system that converts the thermal energy from onsite gas generators into data center cooling and power. Our technology, validated at TRL 6 at prototype facility with over $8MM in prior federal investment from DOE, ARPA-E, and the Department of Defense, is now moving from validated prototype to commercial-scale product.

We're deploying into a specific, high-value market: data centers running 24/7 on prime power generators, where cooling is a constant, expensive burden and generator waste heat is an untapped resource. Our system eliminates the electrical load required for cooling, frees generator capacity for additional compute revenue, and dramatically improves facility PUE.

Our commercial partners include data center operators, engine OEMs, and infrastructure providers. We are participants in the Schneider Electric Venture Accelerator and Chevron Studio programs.

We're a founding team looking for our first full-time engineering hire. You'll shape the technical direction of the company.

The Role

This is the most important hire we'll make in 2026. We need a technical product leader who has run product programs at an HVAC, refrigeration, or thermal systems manufacturer, someone who knows what it takes to move a thermal system from engineering prototype to a manufactured, installed, and commissioned commercial product. You've done new product introduction (NPI). You've sized and sourced components. You've developed P&IDs and managed engineering change processes. You've run factory acceptance tests. You've commissioned equipment in the field. You understand that the BOM, the test plan, and the integration requirements are all part of engineering — not someone else's problem.

At PowerDrive, you'll own the full product engineering scope: leading our validation testing program at prototype facility, driving commercial-scale system design through detailed engineering, defining interface and integration specifications with our partners (engine OEMs, data center operators, and their tenants), and supporting our first commercial deployment through commissioning.

This role starts as a contract engagement and converts to full-time upon completion of our financing round. We're building an in-person engineering team at our facility (location being finalized). This is a company where you'll be in the room, at the test stand, and on the phone with suppliers — not watching from a laptop.

The CEO will be your partner, not your manager in the traditional sense — he'll clear the path, manage investors and partners, and make sure you have what you need to execute. As we grow, you'll build and lead the engineering team. This role has a clear trajectory toward VP of Engineering or CTO for the right person.

What You'll Own

Validation Testing at Prototype Facility

• Lead and manage PowerDrive's structured validation testing campaign at the prototype facility in Colorado, where the TRL 6 prototype is located
• Develop test plans and protocols based on commercial partner requirements — including cooling load profiles, ambient temperature conditions, generator waste heat characteristics, and controls integration parameters
• Design instrumentation and data collection procedures; own data quality and reporting
• Translate test results into commercial system specifications and customer-ready data packages
• Serve as PowerDrive's primary technical point of contact for prototype facility's engineering team

Commercial-Scale System Design

• Lead detailed engineering of the commercial-scale PowerDrive system — incorporating learnings from prototype testing and customer integration requirements
• Define system architecture: thermodynamic cycle configuration, component sizing, heat exchanger selection, facility integration
• Develop and maintain process flow diagrams and P&IDs
• Own the bill of materials (BOM) with accurate cost structure; manage engineering change notices (ECN)
• Own the interface specification for each customer deployment: siting footprint, utility connections, generator interface, chilled water delivery parameters, heat rejection scope
• Manage CAD master product, BOM, and configuration variants
• Define controls integration requirements: PLC communication protocols, BMS integration, HMI requirements, remote monitoring capabilities.
• Lead product certification pathway — manage UL field listing process, coordinate with external certification consultants, and ensure design changes maintain compliance
• Ensure conformance to applicable ASHRAE and ASME codes and standards: for example: ASHRAE 15 (safety for refrigeration systems), ASME B31.5 (refrigeration piping), AHRI 550/590 (water-chilling packages), and applicable sections of the International Mechanical Code

Strategic Supplier Engagement

• Identify and qualify suppliers, lead RFQ processes and contract negotiations for critical components
• Drive design-for-manufacturability (DFM) decisions throughout the design process
• Build US domestic supplier relationships as a strategic priority

Note: A dedicated supply chain and procurement function will be built as we scale. Early on, you'll make the strategic supplier decisions; the operational purchasing workflow will move to a separate hire.

First Commercial Deployment Support

• Develop installation and commissioning procedures for the first-of-a-kind (FOAK) commercial deployment
• Serve as PowerDrive's technical lead on site during installation and commissioning; coordinate with customer's EPC contractor, facilities team, and engine OEM on scope boundaries
• Define site acceptance testing criteria and lead joint acceptance testing with customers
• Own the feedback loop from field performance back into product design

Note: A field technician will be hired to support ongoing installation and commissioning work. You'll lead the FOAK deployment directly and then build the team and procedures so subsequent deployments don't require your full-time presence.

Partner Technical Engagement

• Represent PowerDrive's technical position in commercial partner discussions — engine OEMs, data center operators, infrastructure providers
• Define and document commercial integration requirements jointly with partners (siting, utility, controls, safety, permitting scope)
• Support business development by providing technical input to commercial proposals, LOI negotiations, and customer presentations
• Coordinate three-party technical alignment (engine OEM + facility operator + tenant/end user) for each deployment

Why This Role

You'll be the first engineering hire. Your fingerprints will be on the commercial product, the supplier base, the commissioning procedures, and the technical relationships with our partners. This isn't a component-level role inside a mature product line — you're building the product.

The technology is real. We have a validated prototype with over $8MM in federal investment, peer-reviewed test data, and a clear path to commercialization. You won't be starting from a whiteboard.

The market timing is exceptional. Data centers are doubling their power density for AI, off-grid prime power is proliferating, and waste heat from 24/7 generators is a massive untapped resource. The customers are real and the economics are strong.

The equity opportunity is meaningful. As the first technical hire at a pre-Seed company with strong IP and validated technology, your equity upside is real.

Requirements

Must-have:

• 8-15 years of engineering experience in HVAC, refrigeration, or thermal systems manufacturing
• Demonstrated experience leading a product from prototype or R&D stage through commercial manufacturing and field deployment — you've run an NPI program and seen a product through FAT, installation, and commissioning
• Strong thermodynamics and heat transfer fundamentals; hands-on experience with refrigerant systems
• Experience developing and maintaining P&IDs, process flow diagrams, and bills of materials in an engineering change-controlled environment
• Experience with SolidWorks or equivalent parametric CAD platform at a system design level
• Familiarity with integration requirements and interface specifications for industrial thermal equipment
• Experience with factory acceptance testing and field commissioning of thermal equipment
• Comfort with ambiguity and fast-moving startup environments — you can prioritize and execute without a large support structure

Strong preference for:

• Background at a chiller, heat pump, or refrigeration OEM (e.g., Trane, Carrier, Johnson Controls, Daikin, Smardt, Turbocor, York/JCI, McQuay, or similar)
• Experience with compressor systems — centrifugal, screw, or high-speed oil-free compressor design, selection, or integration. Familiarity with turbomachinery (radial compressors, magnetic bearings, high-speed rotating equipment) is a strong plus.
• Experience with organic Rankine cycle (ORC), waste heat recovery, or combined heat and power (CHP) systems — not required, but desired
  Familiarity with data center cooling infrastructure and the specific constraints of critical facility environments (uptime requirements, SLA sensitivity, cooling redundancy)
• Product certification experience: UL listing process, AHRI standards, ASME pressure vessel codes
  Experience coordinating technical integration with third-party OEMs (e.g., specifying the interface between your product and another manufacturer's equipment)
• Established relationships in the HVAC/thermal supply chain — you know who makes the best semi-hermetic compressors, who the plate heat exchanger distributors are, and who to call when you need a custom heat exchanger quoted fast