--- title: 'Staff Mechanical Design Engineer, Big Machines at Redwood Materials' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-mechanical-design-engineer-big-machines-redwood-materials-mccarran-6pmgbkzaxnrg' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-26' --- # Staff Mechanical Design Engineer, Big Machines at Redwood Materials - **Company:** Redwood Materials - **Location:** Mccarran, NV / San Francisco, CA - **Compensation:** $148k–$235k - **Posted:** 2026-07-31 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-26 - **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/redwoodmaterials/jobs/6117129004?gh_jid=6117129004 ## Job description ## About Redwood Materials Redwood Materials was founded in 2017 by JB Straubel, co-founder and former CTO of Tesla, on a simple but radical idea: the critical minerals powering the energy transition already exist. They just need to come back. Today Redwood is the largest lithium-ion battery recycler in North America — recovering, refining, and redeploying critical minerals from end-of-life batteries back into the supply chain. On the energy side, Redwood has deployed the largest second-life battery project in the world, delivering power to AI data centers in months rather than years using proprietary energy architecture engineered entirely in-house. The company is profitable, the market it operates in is projected to grow 20 to 50 times over the next decade, and Redwood is the only company with the supply chain, the technology, and the operational scale to lead it. ## About the team Big Machines designs and builds custom equipment for our factories and processing plants. Most of what we make can’t be bought from a vendor, so we figure out how to design, build, and commission it ourselves. The scale is big. A full kiln system may weigh 100+ tons and be over 30m long. We are looking for an engineer who has owned machinery from concept through commissioning. You have built things that failed and learned the hard lessons. You work from first principles when there is no precedent to lean on, run your own analysis, and you hold a high standard for detail without losing the ability to execute. ## Responsibilities - Own the design, build, and commissioning of low-volume, custom integrated machines - Perform engineering hand calculations and finite element analysis to size structures and mechanisms - Create detailed models and engineering prints in SolidWorks, including managing large assemblies and drawing packages - Collaborate with internal fabrication teams and external vendors to manufacture parts - Support machine assembly and testing by performing hands-on commissioning, equipment operation, and floor troubleshooting ## Basic Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a related discipline - 5+ years of professional experience designing and analyzing mechanical structures, mechanisms, or industrial equipment - Advanced proficiency in 3D CAD software such as SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, or Creo - Strong understanding and application of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) ## Preferred Qualifications - ## Experience designing and fabricating welded structures - ## Experience designing and testing mechanical mechanisms - Experience managing large CAD assembly models and engineering drawings - Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) - Experience integrating servos, actuators, and sensors - Hands-on experience working in a production facility with heavy equipment and industrial machinery In accordance with California pay transparency laws, the salary range for this position is listed below. Actual compensation may vary based on a variety of factors, including experience, education, and skills. California Pay Range: $147,500—$235,000 USD The position is full-time. Compensation will be commensurate with experience. We collect personal information (PI) from you in connection with your application for employment with Redwood Materials, including the following categories of PI: identifiers, personal records, professional or employment information, and inferences drawn from your PI. We collect your PI for our purposes, including performing services and operations related to your potential employment. If you have additional privacy-related questions, please contact us at privacy@redwoodmaterials.com. ## About Redwood Materials ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Redwood Materials recycles lithium-ion batteries to recover critical minerals and deploys large-scale energy storage systems, building a domestic circular supply chain for batteries. - **Entity Type**: Private (Late-stage; Series E closed at $425M in October 2025) - **Headquarters**: Carson City, Nevada, USA (with campuses in Northern Nevada, South Carolina, and an R&D center in San Francisco) - **Founded**: 2017 - **Founders**: JB Straubel (former Tesla CTO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Battery recycling, critical materials production, and energy storage - **Target customers**: B2B – automotive OEMs, data center operators, utilities, and grid-scale energy storage buyers - **Mission/purpose**: “Securing U.S. critical materials. Powering America’s energy future.” – building a resilient domestic supply chain for batteries and enabling the energy transition. ## Products & Services - **Critical Materials Production**: Recovers lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper from end-of-life batteries (recycling) and produces cathode active material at scale. [redwoodmaterials.com](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/) - **Redwood Energy**: Designs, integrates, and deploys large-scale energy storage systems (BESS) for data centers and the grid, using both new and repurposed batteries. [redwoodmaterials.com](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/) - **Battery Bin**: Consumer-facing recycling program launched in December 2025 to collect end-of-life batteries. [redwoodmaterials.com/about/](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/about/) ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: ~$6 billion (as of October 2025, per Wikipedia) - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised >$1.4B (over $1B in 2023 plus $425M Series E in 2025). Annual revenue not publicly disclosed. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Partners include Volkswagen Group of America, Panasonic, GM/Ultium Cells, Volvo, Amazon, Toyota, Southern Company, BMW of North America, Crusoe, Lime, Caterpillar, Isuzu. [redwoodmaterials.com](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/) - **Growth Signals**: - Opened South Carolina recycling campus (2025) and SF R&D center (2025) - Launched Redwood Energy storage division (2025) - Expanded into Europe (2022) - Recognized as Fast Company’s World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies (2024, 2026) and Time100 Climate (2024) - Active job postings: 79 (as of mid-2026), with monthly growth of +83.7% [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/redwood-materials) ## Competitive Advantages - **Technology moat**: Recovers >95% of metals (nickel, cobalt, lithium, copper) from end-of-life batteries, creating a low-cost domestic source of critical materials. - **Vertical integration**: Combines recycling, refining, cathode production, and energy storage deployment under one roof. - **Strategic partnerships**: Deep relationships with nearly every major automotive OEM and energy companies, ensuring feedstock and offtake. - **First-mover in U.S. battery circularity**: One of the largest domestic sources of critical minerals, reducing reliance on foreign supply chains. ## Strategic Focus - Scale domestic battery material production and energy storage manufacturing to meet U.S. grid and EV demand. - Expand Redwood Energy as a standalone business unit for utility and data center storage. - Grow consumer recycling programs (Battery Bin) and deepen partnerships with automakers and energy companies. - Continue R&D in advanced battery chemistries and recycling processes at the San Francisco innovation center. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven culture**: Employees are motivated by building a resilient U.S. energy future and solving climate challenges. - **Pioneering environment**: Described as “pioneers, innovators, and collaborators” working on chemistry, materials science, automation, and advanced equipment design. [redwoodmaterials.com/join/](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/join/) - **Locations**: Multiple campuses – Tahoe (Northern Nevada), Carolina (South Carolina), and downtown San Francisco R&D center. - **Growth opportunities**: Rapid scaling with 79+ open roles across engineering, operations, EPC, software, and business functions. Top talent sources include Tesla (207 alumni), Panasonic, Rivian, and Chewy. - **Work style**: Hybrid/office presence expected at campuses; culture emphasizes making difficult decisions and implementing design constraints to drive impact. ## Sources 1. [redwoodmaterials.com](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/) 2. [redwoodmaterials.com/about/](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/about/) 3. [redwoodmaterials.com/join/](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/join/) 4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/redwood-materials) 5. [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redwood_Materials) ## Other roles at Redwood Materials - [Energy Production Planner](https://feeny.ai/job/energy-production-planner-redwood-materials-mccarran-52s8s85vpcz7) — Mccarran, NV - [Staff Global Supply Manager, Construction](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-global-supply-manager-construction-redwood-materials-san-francisco-3n2x4fcm6etp) — San Francisco, CA - [Payroll Specialist III](https://feeny.ai/job/payroll-specialist-iii-redwood-materials-carson-city-30e05zkbpw79) — Carson City, NV - [Controls Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/controls-engineer-redwood-materials-mccarran-8m18h7q532d6) — Mccarran, NV - [Staff Environmental Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-environmental-engineer-redwood-materials-mccarran-qbc1h522m5tr) — Mccarran, NV - [Senior Supply Chain Program Manager, Energy Storage](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-supply-chain-program-manager-energy-storage-redwood-materials-san-a0d24zgf7tnd) — San Francisco, CA - [Senior Electrical Hardware Test Engineer, Energy Storage](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-hardware-test-engineer-energy-storage-redwood-materials-san-trey1td3r6a1) — San Francisco, CA - [Senior Construction Field Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-construction-field-manager-redwood-materials-mccarran-qqrbastybfxv) — Mccarran, NV - [Accounts Payable Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/accounts-payable-specialist-redwood-materials-carson-city-5984ftx3yhrp) — Carson City, NV - [Senior Finance Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-finance-associate-redwood-materials-san-francisco-pgkdjce6g6a5) — San Francisco, CA