Thermal Systems & Applications Engineer

AtmosZero is building the next generation of industrial steam infrastructure. Our flagship product, Boiler 2.0, is a modular industrial steam heat pump designed to help manufacturers reduce operational risk, improve flexibility, and modernize steam generation over time. Rather than forcing facilities to choose between reliability and sustainability, AtmosZero enables a practical path toward future-ready steam systems that integrate with existing operations and scale with customer needs.

AtmosZero  ·  Loveland, Colorado (onsite)  ·  Full-time  ·  Engineer III / Senior Engineer I / Senior Engineer II

Reports to: Sr. Director, New Product Development

Why this role exists

Boiler 2.0 must serve industrial customers with different steam conditions, operating profiles, utilities, sites, and integration constraints without becoming a one-off engineering project each time. This role translates customer applications into product requirements and standard configurations, then connects architecture decisions to performance, engineering scope, BOM cost, and target cost.

Level and scope

We are hiring into this role at whichever of three levels best matches the scope, independence, and judgment demonstrated through the interview process. Apply once and we will place you.

• Engineer III. Independently own significant process or thermal-system workstreams, coordinate technical interfaces, and deliver results from requirements and analysis through testing, troubleshooting, and implementation.
• Senior Engineer I. Lead complex system work through ambiguity, own major technical workstreams end to end, mentor teammates, and influence cross-functional decisions.
• Senior Engineer II. Lead highly complex, cross-functional system efforts, set technical direction within the role scope, and drive execution across engineering teams, suppliers, and external specialists.

If you are between levels or arrived at this expertise through an unusual route, apply anyway.

What you will do

Define the product

• Translate steam conditions, operating profiles, utility conditions, site constraints, and integration requirements into clear product requirements.
• Develop system architectures and configurable product definitions for priority market segments.
• Determine when a standard configuration is sufficient and when customer requirements justify controlled customization.

Connect performance and cost

• Evaluate performance-cost tradeoffs, component choices, operating envelopes, and design-to-cost opportunities.
• Connect architecture decisions to BOM cost, should-cost information, component selection, and target cost.
• Evaluate lower-cost product configurations while preserving the performance and operating range required by the target application.

Support applications and decisions

• Perform application analyses and communicate the implications of customer requirements to engineering, commercial, and supply-chain teams.
• Maintain the process and performance logic connecting customer needs, product requirements, engineering scope, and target BOM.

What success looks like in your first year

• In the first 90 days, understand the current architecture, customer-application inputs, and cost structure and complete a product-configuration or application analysis.
• By six months, own architecture trade studies for a priority segment and connect recommendations to performance, BOM, and target cost.
• By twelve months, deliver a validated lower-cost standard configuration and a repeatable method for screening standard versus customized applications.

What we need from you

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or a related discipline, with relevant experience at the level at which you are hired.
• Strong thermal-fluid fundamentals and the ability to translate customer operating conditions into system requirements and architecture decisions.
• Experience with product architecture, applications engineering, system configuration, techno-economic analysis, or commercial product definition.
• Ability to evaluate performance, complexity, cost, and customer-value tradeoffs using models, test data, supplier inputs, and engineering judgment.
• Experience connecting engineering decisions to BOMs, component selection, should-cost inputs, or target-cost objectives.
• Clear communication across engineering, commercial, finance, supply-chain, and customer-facing teams.

What would help

We do not expect anyone to have all of this.

• Advanced degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience with industrial heat pumps, refrigeration, steam systems, boilers, HVAC, ORC, process equipment, or comparable industrial thermal products.
• Experience defining configurable or modular product platforms for multiple applications or market segments.
• Experience with utility and site-integration studies, application sizing, proposals, or front-end engineering.
• Fluency with EES, Aspen Plus/HYSYS, MATLAB, Python, GT-SUITE, or techno-economic modeling tools.
• Experience with design-to-cost, value engineering, product management, or commercialization of engineered hardware.

Compensation and benefits

Base salary range:

• Engineer III [$110,000 - $165,000]
• Senior Engineer I [$125,000- $180,000]
• Senior Engineer II [$140,000 - $200,000]

Where an offer lands within a range depends on experience, demonstrated capability, and interview performance.

Equity: Stock option grant

Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; retirement plan; paid time off and holidays; parental leave.