Electrolyzer Mechanical Design Engineer
- ITAR / US person
How this pay compares
This posting states $120k–$180k a year. Open mechanical engineer jobs in California post a median of $158k a year, the middle half $130k–$180k, across 266 jobs that state their pay, so this one is within the middle half of what they post.
Mechanical engineers in California: pay by town and employer
About the job
## About General Galactic General Galactic designs, builds, and flies advanced spacecraft that redefine what’s possible beyond Earth. Led by former SpaceX, Varda, Impulse, and Relativity engineers, our vision is to dominate cislunar space and build the railway to Mars – expanding access to high-energy orbits and enabling the next generation of missions along the way.
Based in Los Angeles, California, we’re leveraging our paradigm-shifting water-based technology to reshape the space domain for good. ## Job Description As an Electrolyzer Mechanical Design Engineer, you will lead development, scale-up, and integration of novel stack designs for Triton, General Galactic’s high-pressure water electrolyzer.
Triton is the core of Genesis and enables the unprecedented mobility of our Seldon and Dreadnought spacecraft. You will own Triton designs from requirements definition and architecture through prototyping, qualification, and flight. You will have extreme ownership over your work, move quickly, and operate with high agency.
As we grow, there will be opportunities to expand your role with the company. This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who can apply mechanical design fundamentals, fluids, thermal analysis, and electrochemistry to real hardware.
To unlock step changes in electrolyzer performance, you will break problems down to their core fundamentals then design, build, and deploy solutions in the form of novel cell and stack architectures.
You should be comfortable moving between first-principles analysis, detailed mechanical design, hardware build, test operations, and post-test data review. ## Responsibilities may include - Own electrochemical hardware design, testing, and analysis at General Galactic to redefine mobility in space - Design, analyze, build, and test electrolyzer components and integrated stacks, with a focus on performance, mechanical robustness, and cost-effectiveness - Leverage hand calculations and simulation tools to optimize stack sealing performance and electrochemical efficiency - Conduct root cause analysis of issues in prototyping and production to troubleshoot and make data-driven design improvements - Contribute to other Genesis systems, including fuel cells, dehumidifiers, and thermal control systems - Perform mechanical, fluid, and thermal analyses for system sizing and characterization - Create drawings, interface definitions, assembly procedures, test procedures, and engineering documentation for electrolyzer and affiliated hardware - Support testing of fluid and propulsion systems - Lead system safety assessments and hazard controls ## Successful applicants should have most of the following - BS in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or a related technical field - 2+ years of experience designing, analyzing, building, or testing complex electrochemical, mechanical, fluid, or thermal systems - Hands-on experience designing, assembling, or testing electrochemical stacks, batteries, or similarly complex sealed hardware - Familiarity with electrolytic cells, fuel cells, batteries, plate-and-frame heat exchangers, or other stacked electrochemical/thermal hardware - Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, compressible flow, mechanical design, and structural load paths - First-principles approach to problem solving even with incomplete or partial information - Ability to perform practical engineering analysis spanning hand calculations, spreadsheets, Python, MATLAB, CAD, FEA, and CFD - Strong mechanical design skills, including CAD, drawing creation, tolerancing, material selection, manufacturability, assembly, and testability - Familiarity with high-pressure systems, hazardous fluids, oxygen compatibility, hydrogen systems, leak testing, cleanliness, and safe test operations - Experience in a fast-paced startup environment or similar, with high agency, strong ownership, and willingness to work hands-on across disciplines The expected base salary range for this position is $120,000–$180,000.
This range reflects our good-faith estimate of what we reasonably expect to pay for this role at the time of posting.
Actual compensation will depend on factors such as level, relevant experience, skills, and qualifications. Benefits include medical/vision/dental/PTO/401k/stock options, and more! Very brief statements of fit/interest in this role are encouraged, please send to careers@gengalactic.com. This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations.
As such, US person status (including US citizens, U.S. permanent residents, individuals granted U.S. asylum status, or individuals admitted in U.S. refugee status) is a required qualification for this position. General Galactic Technologies Corporation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. #LI-DNI
From General Galactic's job posting, checked 7 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
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About General Galactic
Spacecraft propulsion that runs on water.
Pay on its listings: 88.9% of its open jobs state an hourly rate
How it pays: Paid as an employee on General Galactic's own payroll (salaried or hourly, as each posting states).
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