Principal Design Engineer - Mechanical Equipment (80-100%)

Get to know Climeworks

Climeworks is a leading high-quality carbon removal provider, combining decades of expertise in Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology with a holistic approach to carbon removal solutions. The company advises organizations on carbon removal strategies and provides tailored portfolios of nature-based and engineered approaches, offering end-to-end services to help achieve net-zero goals.

Running the world's first two DAC plants in Iceland, Climeworks demonstrates a core commitment to high-quality carbon removal backed by over 15 years of pioneering research, development, and deployment. By advancing the most reliable solutions in the market, the company accelerates the global transition to net zero, unlocking economic value for businesses, governments, and society.

We foster a dynamic environment and are building a global purpose-driven team. We are looking for disruptive thinkers, passionate achievers, and inspiring leaders that are ready to take on the world’s greatest challenge.

Your mission

Lead technically by doing. Join the Design Engineering team as a highly experienced individual contributor. You will take on challenging mechanical design problems yourself, from concepts and CAD models to manufacturing drawings, prototypes, and tested hardware, while helping the wider team make strong technical decisions.

As a hands-on member of the Design Engineering team, you will design CO2 collectors, the heart of the direct air capture plant. Improving how they perform, are manufactured, and scale is central to the future success of DAC.

• Mechanical concept & product design: Personally turn new concepts into robust physical products by developing mechanical concepts, creating CAD models, designing components and complete collector assemblies, producing manufacturing drawings, and supporting hardware through fabrication, assembly, and testing.
• Engineering problem-solving & risk reduction: Use experience to find the right solutions faster, anticipate problems early, and reduce risk before issues reach manufacturing or testing.
• CO2 collector design: Take mechanical systems from requirements and concepts through to detailed, manufacturable designs. Develop solutions, perform engineering calculations, and make the decisions needed to create robust industrial hardware.
• First-principles engineering: Use experience and first-principles reasoning to identify risks early, evaluate alternatives quickly, and converge on simple, robust solutions. Apply calculations, tolerance analysis, design reviews, and testing to reduce uncertainty.
• Own design from concept to commercialisation: Work directly in SolidWorks to create and modify parts, assemblies, and system layouts. Manage complex interfaces, packaging constraints, and design changes so the complete system works together. Produce and maintain high-quality 2D manufacturing drawings, including appropriate GD&T, tolerances, materials, finishes, and manufacturing requirements.
• Prototype fabrication, assembly & testing: Stay closely involved after the CAD work is complete. Support prototype fabrication, assembly, and testing, investigate issues, and incorporate the learning back into the design.
• Technical leadership & design reviews: Act as a senior technical reference for the team, supporting the Design Engineering line manager with design reviews, engineering standards, and approval of critical designs. Support the extended team with technical judgement on complex mechanical design decisions, help maintain strong engineering practices, and share experience through everyday collaboration, mentoring, and constructive challenge.
• Cross-functional engineering collaboration: Work with manufacturing, testing, process engineering, procurement, suppliers, and other engineering disciplines to ensure mechanical designs work as part of the complete product. Integrate external design resources where needed.

Your story

Your experience makes your engineering more effective: you spot promising solutions early, expose weak points before they become expensive, and deliver designs that are clear, manufacturable, and ready to perform in the real world.

• Mechanical Design Experience: Bring 15+ years of hands-on mechanical design experience, ideally developing complex industrial equipment from concept through manufacture, assembly, and testing.
• Sheet Metal Design & Manufacturing: Have deep practical experience designing sheet-metal parts, structures, and assemblies for manufacture at scale. Understand bending, welding, and joining methods, forming, tolerances, material and thickness selection, and how design choices affect tooling, cost, assembly, and quality.
• CAD & Drawings: Be an expert SolidWorks user and remain hands-on with CAD. Personally create high-quality manufacturing drawings and be confident with GD&T and tolerance chains.
• System Design & Engineering Judgement: Have experience designing from components and mechanisms through subsystems, interfaces, and complex assemblies. Understand how decisions at one level affect the complete collector and can balance structures, airflow, movement, sealing, process interfaces, manufacturability, reliability, and cost to arrive at robust solutions.
• Manufacturing & DFMA: Have strong knowledge of machined parts, welded structures, materials, and manufacturing processes, and apply DFMA to create robust, cost-effective designs.
• Collaboration & Technical Leadership: Work effectively with engineers, technicians, manufacturers, and suppliers. Share experience, challenge constructively, and help others make better technical decisions.
• Education: Hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or similar.

This role is not for you, if…

• You mainly want to manage people or projects.
• You mainly do simulation, concept work, or system-level engineering without your own CAD work.
• You have no experience with sheet metal, welded structures, or manufacturing at scale.

Our promise

At Climeworks, you are accepted for who you are, and we are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply – regardless of background, identity, or experience. Studies show that women and individuals from minority backgrounds often only apply for jobs when they meet 100% of the listed criteria. If this sounds like you, don’t hold back. If you think you’d make a great fit for this role, we’d love to hear from you, even if you don’t check every single box. Let’s tackle one of humankind’s greatest challenges together.

What we offer

• Time Off: Enjoy 25 paid vacation days every year, plus public holidays.
• Flexibility: Work how it suits you best. We offer a hybrid work setup and up to 4 weeks of remote work annually within any EU country.
• Ownership: Fair base pay paired with an equity package – because your contributions matter.
• Family Support: Inclusive parental leave.
• Continuous Learning: Dedicated budget to invest in your professional growth.
• Referral Rewards: Help us grow our team and earn bonuses for your successful referrals.
• Salary: Salary ranges are assigned to a job based on the level of seniority and the location-specific market median of similar jobs according to external benchmark surveys. Individual compensation depends on your skills, experience, and the value you bring to the team.

Formalities

• This position is based in Opfikon, Zurich, and we ask that you work onsite at least three days per week.
• The percentage in the job title means flexibility – choose full-time or part-time based on what works for you.
• We do not accept candidate profiles through recruitment agencies.