---
title: 'Mechanical Design Engineer - Power Systems at Lightship'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-design-engineer-power-systems-lightship-south-san-francisco-2v87jbe80tba'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Mechanical Design Engineer - Power Systems at Lightship

- **Company:** Lightship
- **Location:** South San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $100k–$125k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-07-10
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/lightship/9a5a91b4-81af-425d-9ab4-47c682b1316f

## Job description

## Overview

Lightship is the first American all-electric recreational vehicle manufacturer currently developing an aerodynamic, battery-powered trailer for the electric age. As the macro transition to an all-electric transportation ecosystem accelerates, Lightship is bringing the increased convenience and superior performance that electrification offers to a pastime enjoyed by over 11 million American families.

Honoring Diverse Perspectives Lightship is committed to hiring and developing top talent from diverse backgrounds. We believe representing and supporting diverse groups is key to the success of our team members, customers, shareholders and the achievement of our mission and vision. We operate in a collaborative environment with a flat organizational structure and expect a high degree of integrity, autonomy and creativity from all members of the team.

## About the Role

As a Mechanical Design Engineer you will serve as a hands on technical lead for multiple power systems, primarily our all-electric RV’s Solar System. You will be responsible for supporting continuous development and testing of the solar arrays, related  junction boxes, harnessing, charge controllers and circuit protection. With a small team, you'll also help dive into development on other Power Systems components, including power distribution modules, mounting brackets, electronics enclosures, and selecting off the shelf electronics components.

## Responsibilities

- Work with the Product and Design teams to develop high level product requirements
- Create tolerance stack analyses and apply appropriate GD&T controls to 3D geometries
- Own the CAD & BOM for solar & related subsystems
- Perform Design Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (DFMEA) to highlight reliability and safety issues.
- Build functional prototypes of subsystems to ensure early de-risking before full vehicle builds
- Work with the test engineering team to troubleshoot issues from highly accelerated life testing (HALT) and vehicle level test failures
- Partner with supply chain for sourcing  parts, components, and materials

Candidate Characteristics

- The ability to  approach challenges with flexibility and creativity
- Solutions-oriented, with a focus on progress and impact over perfection
- Willingness to operate effectively at both strategic and hands-on levels
- Excellent communication, presentation, coordination skills & curiosity

## Minimum Qualifications

- B.S. or higher degree in an engineering field, preferably Mechanical Engineering
- 2+ years industry design engineering experience
- Experience with the following:
- CAD/PLM/PDM systems
- Rapid iteration cycles
- Creating 3D CAD and drawings for electrical hardware components (cast/injection molded housings, busbars, wire harnesses, insulators, switches etc).
- Selecting appropriate materials for electrical hardware, including plastics, metals, polymers and ceramics
- Creating design validation plans for electrical hardware & mechanical assemblies

## Preferred Qualifications

- High voltage power distribution systems
- Experience with solar arrays
- Experience designing wire harnesses (high voltage and low voltage)
- Experience with CATIA (3DX)
- Experience with structural analysis (basic stress/strain and modal analysis)
- Experience with designing for automotive environments
- Experience with DFM/DFA analysis

Equity

- Lightship compensation consists of the yearly salary above plus equity, which gives you a stake in the company.

## About Lightship

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Lightship is America’s first all-electric recreational vehicle company, building the AE.1 travel trailer to enable zero-emission road trips.
- **Entity Type**: Private (venture-backed; Series B stage)
- **Headquarters**: Broomfield, Colorado, United States (with offices in South San Francisco and San Francisco)
- **Founded**: 2020
- **Founders**: Toby Kraus (CEO) and Ben Parker (Chief Product Officer)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Motor vehicle manufacturing (electric recreational vehicles)
- **Target customers**: B2C – RV owners, outdoor enthusiasts, and EV truck owners looking for a sustainable travel trailer
- **Mission or purpose**: “Sustainability and joyful outdoor travel experiences can go hand in hand. We’ve built the all-electric AE.1 to enable zero-emission road trips so that you can explore nature while preserving it for generations to come.” [lightshiprv.com/company](https://lightshiprv.com/company)

## Products & Services
- **[AE.1 All-Electric Travel Trailer]**: A fully electric, aerodynamic travel trailer designed to retain most of a towing EV’s range or boost gas mileage. Type: Hardware (vehicle). [lightshiprv.com/careers](https://lightshiprv.com/careers)
- **[PowerSled]**: An electric mobile power product (introduced May 2026) for off-grid and outdoor use. Type: Hardware. [lightshiprv.com/careers](https://lightshiprv.com/careers)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue ~$2.4M (estimated); total funding $87.8M across five rounds (latest Series B closed December 2025 at $26.6M). [linkedin.com/company/lightshiprv](https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightshiprv)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Prelude Ventures (led Series A and Series B), Obvious Ventures (led Seed and Series B)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Expanding Colorado factory from 32,000 to 76,000 sq. ft., aiming to quadruple AE.1 production by end of 2026. [linkedin.com/company/lightshiprv](https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightshiprv)
  - Headcount grew 23.8% YoY (now 88 employees). [linkedin.com/company/lightshiprv](https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightshiprv)
  - More than 85% of supply chain is US-based. [lightshiprv.com/company](https://lightshiprv.com/company)
  - Employer rating 4.6/5.0 on Built In (5 reviews). [builtin.com/company/lightship-lightshiprvcom](https://builtin.com/company/lightship-lightshiprvcom)

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-mover in all-electric RV segment**: Only mass-produced all-electric travel trailer on the market.
- **Aerodynamic design** that preserves EV towing range, solving a key pain point for EV owners.
- **Deep EV talent pool**: Team includes alumni from Tesla, Rivian, Proterra, Zoox, and AeroVironment. [lightshiprv.com/company](https://lightshiprv.com/company)
- **US-centric supply chain** (85%+ domestic) reduces logistics risk and appeals to buyers seeking American-made products.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale manufacturing**: Expanding factory capacity to 4x current output by end of 2026.
- **Product line expansion**: Introducing PowerSled and potentially more RV models.
- **Sustainability mission**: Cementing position as the go-to electric RV brand for eco-conscious travelers.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture highlights**: Values include “balance at work, home, and in the great beyond,” honoring diverse perspectives, autonomy with collaboration, and building to last. [lightshiprv.com/company](https://lightshiprv.com/company)
- **Work environment**: Highly collaborative, with a high dose of integrity, autonomy, and creativity. [lightshiprv.com/company](https://lightshiprv.com/company)
- **Remote/hybrid/office policy**: Roles are listed as on-site (Broomfield, CO or South San Francisco, CA). Hybrid/remote not explicitly mentioned; likely office-first for hardware roles.
- **Notable perks**: DEI focus, supportive of outdoor lifestyle, working on climate-positive products. Compensation rated 3.6/5 on Built In, career advancement 3.6/5; work-life balance scores 5.0/5. [builtin.com/company/lightship-lightshiprvcom](https://builtin.com/company/lightship-lightshiprvcom)

## Sources
1. [Lightship Careers Page](https://lightshiprv.com/careers)
2. [Lightship Company Page](https://lightshiprv.com/company)
3. [Lightship on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightshiprv)
4. [Lightship on Built In](https://builtin.com/company/lightship-lightshiprvcom)
5. [Lightship on Lever (jobs)](https://jobs.lever.co/lightship)

## Other roles at Lightship

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- [Senior Logistics and Warehouse Supervisor](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-logistics-and-warehouse-supervisor-lightship-broomfield-rah9xrha0nnr) — Broomfield, CO
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- [Software Engineer, UI/UX](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-ui-ux-lightship-broomfield-6gsf5b916dpb) — Broomfield, CO