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Mill Verified
Sustainable Technology, Consumer Electronics, Waste Management, Cleantech

Systems Engineer, Thermal and Airflow

San Bruno, CAOnsiteFull Time$165,000–$195,000 /yrPosted 15 days ago

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Required skills

  • thermal
  • airflow
  • fluids
  • mechanical systems
  • test data
  • Python
  • engineering requirements
  • electromechanical components
  • fans
  • blowers

Nice to have

  • thermal testing
  • airflow characterization
  • mechanical design
  • test and analysis skills
  • MATLAB
  • spreadsheets

Role summary

Mill is seeking a Systems Engineer with a focus on thermal and airflow to join their small team. This hands-on individual contributor role involves characterizing and improving the performance of their commercial food recycler. You will work closely with test engineers to analyze experimental data, draft and review engineering requirements, and own specific subsystems from characterization to design improvement. Collaboration with Mechanical, Electrical, Algorithms, and Product teams is essential. The ideal candidate has 3+ years of experience in thermal, airflow/fluids, or mechanical systems, with strong data analysis and communication skills. Python experience is preferred.

Mill is a waste prevention technology company reimagining what it means to eliminate waste, starting with food. We build smart systems and infrastructure for homes, businesses, and municipalities that transform food scraps from landfill-bound waste into valuable resources, including chicken feed. Tens of thousands of Mill’s residential food recyclers are already helping households divert millions of pounds of food scraps every year, paving the way for our upcoming launch of Mill Commercial—the industry’s first end-to-end solution for managing, understanding, and preventing food waste in commercial environments (e.g. grocery, restaurants, food services). At Mill, we are passionate about building easy-to-use, beautifully designed technologies that keep food in the food system and out of landfills.

About this Role

As a Systems Engineer at Mill, you will help characterize, understand, and improve the performance of our next-generation commercial food recycler. This is a hands-on individual contributor role on a small team. You’ll work closely with our test engineers to turn experimental data into clear conclusions, review and draft changes to the Engineering Requirements Document (ERD), and take ownership of specific subsystems from characterization through design improvement. You’ll collaborate daily with Mechanical, Electrical, Algorithms, and Product. If you enjoy digging into thermal and airflow data and turning it into better hardware, this role is for you.

Responsibilities

  • Partner with the test engineering team to plan experiments and analyze the resulting data on system parameters such as temperatures, airflow, humidity, and heat transfer. Derive conclusions, quantify tradeoffs, and recommend next steps to improve drying performance, energy efficiency, and throughput.
  • Own targeted subsystems (e.g. airflow path, condenser, heater, or drying chamber) end to end: define requirements, characterize performance, identify failure modes, and drive design improvements.
  • Review proposed changes to the ERD and draft requirement updates based on test results, field data, and cross-functional input, so that requirements stay current and visible to stakeholders.
  • Work with the algorithms and firmware teams to provide the data and system understanding needed to refine control schemes for energy use, drying time, and reliable operation.
  • Support mechanical engineers in evaluating and iterating on custom hardware such as mixing paddles, air deflectors, and cutting/shredding components, grounded in test data.
  • Help define component requirements (fans, blowers, heaters, sensors, flow meters) and support part selection and evaluation.
  • Build reusable analysis tools and clear reports (plots, summaries, test writeups) that make results legible across the team.

    • Qualifications

  • 3+ years of hands-on engineering experience with a thermal, airflow/fluids, or mechanical systems focus. Experience with thermal testing and airflow characterization is strongly preferred; a mechanical design background with strong test and analysis skills is also a great fit.
  • Comfortable analyzing time-series test data and communicating findings clearly. Python is preferred, but other tools (R, MATLAB, spreadsheets, AI-assisted analysis) are acceptable.
  • Experience writing or reviewing engineering requirements, test plans, or similar technical documentation.
  • Familiarity with electromechanical components such as fans, blowers, heaters, valves, and sensors.
  • BS in Mechanical, Thermal, Process, Chemical, or a related engineering field.
  • Clear written and verbal communication; able to present results to engineers across disciplines.
  • Able to work independently on an owned area while collaborating closely with a small, fast-moving team.

    • Nice to have

  • Prior experience taking a product or process from prototype toward production.
  • Exposure to CFD or thermal simulation results and how to validate them against test data.
  • Startup or small-team experience with fast paced environments

    • The estimated base salary range for this position is $165K to $195K, which does not include the value of benefits or a potential equity grant. A wide range of factors are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to skill sets, market conditions, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and business and organizational needs.

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