Lead Mechanical CAD & PLM Engineer
Thea Energy
Lead Mechanical CAD & PLM Engineer
Thea Energy
Develops fusion power via planar-coil stellarators
The Lead Mechanical CAD & PLM Engineer is the single point of accountability for how Thea structures, controls, and evolves its top-level CAD configurations, and for ensuring that the PDM environment remains stable, current, and well-governed as the team scales. The role combines deep CAD authority with system-administrator responsibility, and partners closely with subassembly leads, systems engineering, and engineering leadership.
Top-Level Assembly Configuration Ownership
Assembly Ownership: Serve as the named owner of a designated top-level assembly (TLA), responsible for its structure, release state, and configuration integrity from concept through production.
Subassembly Coordination: Partner with subassembly leads to maintain alignment between subordinate models and the TLA, including merge cadence, naming conventions, structural standards, interfaces, space claim, and modeling best practices.
Conflict Resolution: Drive resolution of configuration conflicts between subassemblies and ensure design intent preservation across the assembly hierarchy.
Cross-Functional Interface Coordination
Interface Tracking: Partner with the Systems Engineer to track and document mechanical-to-electrical, mechanical-to-fluid, and mechanical-to-software interfaces relevant to the assigned TLA.
Interface Register: Maintain a PDM-based interface register based on an authoritative source that reflects the current physical and logical boundaries between subsystems.
Drift Detection: Flag interface drift early including geometry, tolerance, and connector changes and lead the change-control conversation when shifts occur.
Teamcenter PDM Operations
System Administration: Serve as the system administrator for Teamcenter, accountable for environment uptime, system upgrades, and patch cycles.
Licensing: Support negotiations for Teamcenter licensing with Siemens and adjacent partners by providing information on usage and managing seat allocation, and steward annual or multi-year renewals.
Feature Lifecycle: Scope, test, evaluate, and roll out new Teamcenter features and modules in response to evolving company needs, in coordination with IT and engineering leadership.
PDM Proliferation: Lead integration of Teamcenter into the larger company software stack. For example, PDM interaction with Manufacturing and Test software platforms.
Access Control & Workflow Governance
Access Control: Own user access and permissions for Teamcenter and Siemens NX, including provisioning, role definitions, and periodic access reviews.
Workflow Templates: Define and maintain Teamcenter workflow templates (release, change, review) so that the process is consistent across teams and meets the needs of the team for speed versus complexity.
Workflow Auditing: Audit workflow activity, identify bottlenecks, and iterate workflow design with feedback from all company stakeholders.
Training & Documentation
CAD and Configuration Training: Develop and deliver training on CAD and configuration management practices, including modeling best practices, top-level assembly structure, subassembly coordination, and naming and merge conventions.
Teamcenter Usage Training: Build and maintain onboarding and ongoing-use training for Teamcenter, covering navigation, item creation, revision control, and day-to-day data management.
Release Workflow Training: Author training and reference materials that walk users through release workflows, including ECO/ECR initiation, review responsibilities, approval routing, and post-release obligations.
Best-Practice Documentation: Maintain a living set of best-practice guides and quick-reference documents for the engineering organization, updated as Teamcenter features and CAD practices evolve.
Additional Support
VFX and Marketing Graphics: Interface with and provide support to VFX and marketing groups for graphics generation, as necessary.
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
Five to seven years of professional experience in mechanical design and CAD, including ownership of complex assemblies in Siemens NX or an equivalent commercial CAD package.
Hands-on experience administering Teamcenter or another commercial PLM platform (e.g., Windchill, Enovia).
Demonstrated ability to coordinate across engineering disciplines on shared deliverables, including interface management with systems engineering.
Working familiarity with engineering change management (ECO/ECR) and release control.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly in documenting configuration management and PDM administration practices, and in producing training materials for technical audiences.
Preferred Qualifications
Direct experience as the named owner of a top-level assembly on a hardware product through release.
Prior responsibility for PDM license negotiation or vendor management.
Familiarity with Model-Based Definition (MBD), Design-in-Context methodologies, and Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) workflows.
Experience designing or auditing Teamcenter workflow templates.
Experience developing and delivering technical training for engineering teams (CAD, PDM, or workflow-related).
Experience in fusion energy, aerospace, defense, medical devices, or another regulated hardware environment.
Familiarity with NX Open or Teamcenter customization (BMIDE, ITK, or comparable).
Develops fusion power via planar-coil stellarators
Thea Energy develops fusion-based power technology to provide scalable, zero-emission baseload electricity for utilities and heavy industry. Its approach uses a reimagined stellarator with flat, planar superconducting coils controlled by software-defined systems, replacing the traditional complex magnet geometry to lower costs and improve serviceability. Its Eos neutron-source device and Helios commercial power plant concept illustrate a pipeline from research to grid-ready power, backed by DOE milestones and public-private partnerships. The company aims to commercialize fusion as a dependable grid-level energy source and win long-term offtake agreements with utilities and large customers.
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