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Role description

Lead Combustion Engineer

Arbor Energy logoArbor Energy
Zero to one
WorkplaceOn-site
SenioritySenior
Salary$170,000–$185,000

Company info

Arbor Energy logo

Arbor Energy

Rocket engineering for power generation.

Arbor is a next-generation turbine company using rocket engineering to deliver clean firm power. Rocket engines generate enormous power out of very small volumes. Arbor applies that approach to power generation, using supercritical CO₂ to deliver the same power from a turbine roughly one-tenth the size of a conventional one. Turbine engineering supplies the materials and cooling a power system needs to run continuously for decades. Arbor’s power system, HALCYON, uses oxy-combustion—burning fuel in pure oxygen—to eliminate NOx, SOx, and particulate emissions. This process enables CO₂ to be captured directly from the fuel and stored permanently underground. It also produces water, so a plant can operate without drawing on local water supplies. Each HALCYON unit delivers 25 MW, and units can run independently or get combined into plants of 100 MW and more as demand grows. Components are additively manufactured on standard 3D printers, offering a path outside the legacy supply chains th

Private companySeries AHiring fast
LocationEl Segundo, CA
Posted5/1/2026
Engineering

About Us

At Arbor Energy & Resources Corporation ("Arbor Energy"), we’re creating technology to power our lives while protecting the planet that sustains them.  Our advanced power systems deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity with zero operating emissions—modular, fuel-flexible, and engineered for the realities of today’s energy demand. At the core is a supercritical CO₂ turbine with integrated carbon capture, designed to bring carbon-neutral power online quickly at meaningful scale. 

Our team includes aerospace engineers, combustion experts, and systems thinkers with a shared goal: to build technology worthy of the world we want to live in. While many of us began our journeys looking to the stars, we’re applying that expertise here at home to deliver dependable, emission-free baseload power and a future of lasting abundance.  

If you share our values and are drawn to rigorous work with lasting impact, we’d love to learn more about you. Come build what the future will run on.

Steward our planet: We build for tomorrow, ensuring every bolt we tighten and every hand we lend leaves our environment stronger than we found it.

Lead with Love: We champion the success of our people, partners, and planet, nurturing excellence through camaraderie and rigor.

Explore the Uncharted: We embrace the unknown with curiosity, using courage and discipline to transform uncertainty into opportunity.

Role Overview

Our Lead Combustion Engineer serves as the technical authority pioneering our rocket-inspired, high-pressure oxy-fuel combustion systems - integral in delivering carbon-neutral and carbon-negative power cycles at scale. 

In this leadership role, you’ll own the combustion subsystem, guiding a talented team through end-to-end development of breakthrough, high-efficiency devices in a fast-paced, collaborative startup environment. You’ll drive strategy from clean-sheet concepts and advanced modeling through hands-on testing, rapid iteration, and performance validation, establishing the technical direction that powers a sustainable future. 

You’ll mentor junior engineers, align cross-functional efforts with test, analysis, and design teams, and make critical trade-off decisions to accelerate progress while pushing the boundaries of efficiency and reliability. 

This is an onsite opportunity in our El Segundo, CA office. 

Responsibilities

  • Serve as technical lead for oxy-fuel combustion systems: own architecture, clean-sheet design, rigorous analysis, and delivery of breakthrough performance 
  • Define and lead high-pressure/high-temperature test campaigns—from planning and execution through in-depth data analysis and actionable recommendations 
  • Direct system configuration trades and performance optimization to achieve maximum efficiency, reliability, and scalability 
  • Own rapid hardware development cycles—from manufacturing and assembly through testing and iterative improvements 
  • Champion the use of additive manufacturing, modern CFD/tools, and advanced simulation to shorten timelines and enable innovation 
  • Mentor team members, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and implement design upgrades that elevate system capability 

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, chemical engineering, or related field
  • 7+ years of experience in combustion system design, analysis, and testing
  • Deep expertise in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and combustion
  • Hands-on experience with high-temperature and pressure equipment
  • Strong leadership presence with experience mentoring engineers and influencing cross-functional teams  
  • Demonstrated ability to own product lifecycle from conceptual design to validation
  • Curious, inventive, and entrepreneurial mindset—thrives in ambiguity and drives progress relentlessly 

Preferred Qualifications

  • Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Chemical Engineering 
  • Direct experience leading hot-fire testing campaigns in rocket propulsion, gas turbines, or similar environments 
  • Proficiency in programming for data analysis and automation (Python, MATLAB, etc.) 
  • Prior success in startup or fast-paced hardware development environments 

Compensation & Benefits

  • Pre-IPO stock options
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance (Arbor covers 90% for employees)
  • Basic life insurance fully covered
  • Health savings account (HSA) with matching
  • Flexible savings account (FSA)
  • Unlimited PTO 
  • 12+ company holidays, including Earth Day! 
  • 401(k)
  • Commuter benefits
  • Annual learning and development stipend
  • And more!

Base Pay: $170,000 - $185,000 USD/year. The salary is subject to the applicant's skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.

Our Commitment

Arbor Energy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Solving global energy challenges requires a wide range of perspectives and experiences, and we are committed to building a team that reflects the world we serve.

Our hiring process is designed to be accessible, fair, and focused on the work that matters most for this role. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process and employment—please let us know if you need one.

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Founded
2022
HQLos Angeles, United States
Size51–200 employees
IndustryElectric Power Generation
Latest fundingSeries A · Oct 21, 2025
Investors
Lowercarbon CapitalVoyager Ventures

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