What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, Gaseous Hydrogen Storage Engineering position at Universal Hydrogen?
Are you ready to revolutionize hydrogen fuel delivery for commercial aviation? In this role, you will lead a tightly-knit team of brilliant engineers and technicians responsible for the development of our high-pressure gaseous storage capsules that form the basis of our hydrogen logistics network for aviation and other sectors. You will lead the development of the capsule architecture that offers a substantial weight advantage over the existing state-of-the-art. This role offers an exciting opportunity for you to demonstrate creativity, problem-solving, and innovative design solutions in a fast-paced, energetic startup environment and play a critical role in the decarbonization of aviation in the near future.
About the Role
- Lead the development of high-pressure hydrogen storage vessels.
- Drive product architecture, including the rigorous application of systems engineering principles and processes.
- Grow and lead a multidisciplinary engineering and manufacturing team.
- Define materials, manufacturing methods, and processes.
- Develop and oversee the execution of test plans for verification and validation of selected designs to the design parameters and requirements, collaborating closely with the certification team.
- Identify and direct third-party vendors, suppliers, and test labs to ensure specified design requirements are met.
About You
- Demonstrated ability to lead a team developing new technology that goes beyond existing design practices.
- Experience with systems engineering theory and practice.
- Ability to motivate and drive a dynamic team working to make the impossible possible.
- Ability to make decisions to prioritize and direct the team to pursue competing designs to deliver the best solution quickly.
- Experience with composite structures, preferably pressure vessels.
- Understanding of high-strength materials such as high-grade carbon fiber and particularly when exposed to hydrogen under high pressures.
- Experience with material test standards and regulations, preferably for aviation certification.
About Us
At Universal Hydrogen, our mission is to fuel carbon-free flight and reduce the climate impact of air travel. We are stitching together the end-to-end hydrogen value chain for aviation, both for hydrogen fuel and hydrogen-powered airplanes. We are building a transport and logistics network that moves hydrogen from production facilities to airports over the existing freight infrastructure, eliminating the need for costly new pipelines and storage facilities. Our system utilizes specialized capsules that safely store hydrogen during transit and act as modular fuel tanks that load directly onto aircraft. We are also developing powertrain conversion kits to retrofit existing airplanes and enable new airplanes to fly on hydrogen. Founded by former executives from Airbus, United Technologies, Google, and DARPA, and backed by investors such as Playground Global, Tencent, Toyota, GE, JetBlue, and Airbus, we are convinced that hydrogen is the best and only scalable solution to truly decarbonize aviation, and we want to bring it to market decades sooner—by 2025.
We strive for a workplace that is open, friendly, and fun, while valuing focus, urgency, camaraderie, and maverick behavior in accomplishing our mission. We recognize that people have a diverse set of preferences for work conditions and hours that optimize their overall productivity and wellness, and both our cloud-based IT setup and flexible work policy reflect this. However, because we are building physical products, most roles will require working at our facility at Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles or at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in Toulouse most of the time.
Our compensation and benefits package promotes transparency, equitability, and long-term employee well-being, while rewarding individual and team performance. This includes a significant variable pay component in the cash compensation, equity participation for all employees, 100% coverage of healthcare costs, and dog-friendly offices. As a young company, we are continually expanding our benefits, striving to provide our employees with the support they need to be their best both in and outside of the office. In the next few months, we are rolling out childcare support, catered meals, green mobility support, and private pilot (PPL) training—and we're always open to feedback on what's most important to you!
We know that no two candidates are the same, and we want to give you the opportunity to present yourself in the best way possible. Don't hesitate to let us know how we can support a great recruitment process for you—whether that includes off-hours interview scheduling, captioning/transcription services, or other accommodations. We value diversity in all its forms, and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply, especially if you share in our mission to decarbonize air travel.
Please note that for the health and safety of our employees, we require all employees to provide proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations as recommended by the CDC (or a valid exemption).