Powertrain Engineer, Internal Combustion Engines

Albacore Inc. is a Philadelphia-based company building highly-capable, mass-producible drone submarines to defend sovereign waters of America and allied nations. We are backed with more than $10 million from Y Combinator and venture capital investors. Role description: Own the design and development of internal combustion engines end-to-end, from clean-sheet architecture through fabrication, dyno characterization, integration, and field testing. Specify and develop core engine subsystems including fuel delivery, air handling, ignition or compression-ignition systems, cooling, lubrication, and exhaust, applying a strong first-principles engineering mindset to hit aggressive targets for power density, fuel efficiency, and reliability. Design the engine to deliver clean shaft power into a downstream generator and power conversion stage, working closely with electrical teammates on coupling, vibration isolation, and operating-point selection. Build, instrument, and run engine test cells and dyno setups to characterize performance, validate durability, and drive root-cause analysis on failures. Collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, software, and systems engineers to integrate engines into robust, demanding-environment power generation systems. Get hands-on with build, assembly, and debug of prototype engines, driving rapid iteration and continuous improvement in performance, reliability, and manufacturability. Desired qualifications: B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering, or related technical field. 5–7 years of experience designing and developing internal combustion engines, ideally in a startup, motorsports, small UAV/UGV, or APU/genset environment where you owned problems end-to-end. Deep working knowledge of two- or four-stroke engine design, including fuel delivery, air handling, cooling, lubrication, and exhaust subsystems. Hands-on experience running engines on a dynamometer, including instrumentation, data acquisition, and performance characterization. Proficiency with CAD tools (SolidWorks preferred) and experience producing clear engineering documentation, including drawings and tolerance specifications. Comfort working across disciplines and reading schematics to collaborate effectively with EE and firmware teammates on ECU and engine controls integration. Strong first-principles engineering mindset and a bias toward building, testing, and iterating over endless analysis. U.S. work authorization and ability to obtain a security clearance.