Lead Turbomachinery Engineer

Industrial power turbines haven't seen meaningful innovation in over a century. We believe that the modern world should not be limited by energy. Lazarus is a team with over 50 years of turbomachinery analysis, design, and testing experience. We are building the next generation of power conversion technologies that will solve today’s power demands and tomorrow’s renewable energy future. This is a rare chance to help define a new era of hardware energy products by leading core technology development from concept to test and production. Lazarus is post-stealth and pre-series A. We are moving incredibly fast with a talented team in place, hardware in the door, and active testing underway. We are currently building a MW-class system to fire with natural gas and then integrate with nuclear heat before the end of 2027.

Role Overview This role is for a leader who will help own the aerodynamic design of our turbomachinery - the compressor and turbine at the heart of our power block. You will work directly with the technical founders to drive system level architecture, strategy, and engineering processes. You'll partner closely with our rotordynamics lead, who owns bearings, rotordynamics, and rotor architecture, freeing you to go deep on the aero design of the stages themselves. As an early senior hire, you'll also help grow and lead the turbomachinery team as we scale. This role blends deep engineering with start-up execution: clean-sheet design, hands-on hardware development, rapid iteration, test-driven validation, and scaling toward manufacturable products.

Responsibilities

• Lead aerodynamic design of the compressor and turbine from meanline to streamline and 3D CFD, splitting the work with our turbomachinery analyst

• Own the aerodynamic performance prediction across steady-state and off-design envelope

• Drive the rotating hardware towards released design, working with the mechanical team on structural, thermal, and detailed mechanical design

• Partner with the rotordynamics lead on the rotor system, integrating bearing, seal, and rotordynamic constraints into the design

• Support prototype builds, rig testing, and data-driven iteration.

• Collaborate with suppliers to deliver manufacturable rotating hardware.

• Help recruit, interview, mentor, and grow the team

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in mechanical or aerospace engineering or similar.

• Experience designing and analyzing turbomachinery (compressors, turbines, turbopumps, turboexpanders, turbochargers, etc.)

• Sound judgement for how aero decisions interact with broader system (structural, thermal, rotordynamic, manufacturing)

• Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and turbomachinery aerodynamics.

• Proficiency with CFD and turbomachinery design tools (e.g., AxStream, CFturbo, ANSYS CFX/Fluent, or similar).

• Proficiency in CAD (NX, SolidWorks, CREO, Onshape, or similar).

• Excellent communication and leadership skills and a willingness to learn / teach

Preferred Experiences

• Supercritical CO₂ or other real-gas turbomachinery.

• Radial / high-speed compressor and turbine design.

• Structural and thermal analysis of turbomachinery hardware (FEA, etc.)

• Detailed mechanical design of rotating hardware through to released drawings

• In-depth knowledge of turbomachinery manufacturing processes and high temperature, creep resistant materials

• Taking rotating machinery from design through hardware test and validation.

• Leading / mentoring younger career engineers

• Early stage or start-up experience.

Compensation & Benefits

• US salary range: $180,000 - $260,000

• Meaningful equity ownership

• Company wide medical, dental, and vision insurance

• Fully stocked kitchen with snacks, coffee, and lunch

Think this is your kind of work? We move fast and we build real things. If that's the work you're after, send us your application.

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