Staff Applications Engineer (m/w/d)

Antora builds and deploys thermal energy storage to power always-on industrial operations and data centers with low-cost energy. Factory-built in California, Antora's thermal batteries deliver reliable and cost-effective heat and power for industrial loads of any size. Antora is electrifying global industry while supporting U.S. manufacturing jobs, lowering costs for energy consumers, and enhancing the competitiveness of American industry.

We are growing our company with people who put team and mission first, value connection through laughter and joy, and build with humility and openness. We are committed to continue building a diverse, passionate, and creative team dedicated to a future where every industrial facility, everywhere on earth, is powered by abundant, clean, low-cost energy.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Staff Applications Engineer to establish Antora's applications engineering function, the technical bridge between our product platform and commercial projects. Working alongside our business development, project development, product management, and analytics teams, you will configure Antora's thermal batteries for specific customer sites and applications: industrial process heat, combined heat & power, and utility-scale power for data centers and the grid, in the U.S. and internationally. You will own the technical solution for every opportunity from first conversation through term sheet: running technical discovery with customer engineering/operations teams, sizing and configuring the system for each site, producing conceptual site layouts and heat and power integration designs, setting the technical basis for performance guarantees, and building the cost estimates behind LOIs (Letter of Intent), term sheets, and investment decisions, then handing projects to our project engineering team for detailed design and execution. This is a founding role for this function: you'll define the playbooks, build tools, and help grow the team as our pipeline scales.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead for customer opportunities across industrial heat, combined heat & power, and power applications, joining business development on sales calls and owning the technical conversation with customer engineering/operations teams and executives
• Run technical discovery: own customer data requests (load profiles, steam conditions, utility data, plot plans, one-lines) and site walkdowns; validate opportunity screens for standard applications and run first-pass technical screening for novel ones
• Size and configure Antora's product for each site within its configurable envelope, creatively optimizing trade-offs across performance, cost, and site constraints
• Produce conceptual site layouts, heat integration designs, and site boundary-condition definitions
• Own the product-side electrical configuration and manage the product-to-interconnection interface with our energy/interconnection team
• Own proposal-stage configuration analysis and cost estimates supporting letters of intent, term sheets, and internal investment approvals
• Support RFP/RFI responses; anticipate and resolve customer technical objections to keep deals moving
• Support commercial negotiations with technical exhibits and performance guarantees for LOIs and term sheets with sharp judgment on the economic implications of design choices and guarantees we commit to
• Prepare basis-of-design handoff packages (configuration specs, layouts, integration concepts, assumptions, and risks) that enable project engineering to pick up projects cleanly for detailed design (FEED and beyond)
• Channel voice-of-customer and market intel back to product management to sharpen the product and roadmap
• Scale the applications engineering function: partner with our software and AI team to build tools to automate processes such as layouts, drawings, and cost estimates; mentor and help grow a small team of applications engineers over time
• Typical travel of ~25%, potentially including some international travel

Key Qualifications

• Bachelor's or equivalent in mechanical, chemical, or electrical engineering (or related field) and 12+ years of experience (or 8+ with a relevant advanced degree) across utility-scale energy projects, large industrial facilities, and/or energy equipment applications
• Deep expertise in either industrial process/thermal systems (steam and utility systems, heat integration) or power systems (MV/HV electrical, grid interconnection) - with working fluency in the other and the range to engage customer engineers credibly in both
• Experience with energy storage and/or utility-scale energy projects, including site layout and equipment configuration
• Familiarity with codes and standards governing industrial energy facilities - NFPA, NEC, ASME, API, UL, etc.
• Comfortable producing and reviewing PFDs, one-line diagrams, and site layout drawings
• Strong techno-economic intuition and commercial judgment - instinctively connects configuration trade-offs and performance guarantees to project economics
• Exceptional customer-facing communication and presentation skills
• AI-fluent: high level of comfort with leading AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) and has strong instincts for which workflows to automate
• Self-directed operator who thrives running many parallel projects in a fast-paced startup environment

Additional Qualifications Desired

• Experience spanning both thermal/process and power/grid project environments
• Prior applications, sales, or solutions engineering role at an energy technology OEM
• Solid understanding of energy market fundamentals and battery dispatch or techno-economic modeling
• Python proficiency
• Experience working with or for EPC firms
• Experience working on projects in international markets (particular preference for EU and Australia)
• Familiarity with European codes and standards
• Experience building commercial tools and automations
• PE license in a related discipline.

Work Location: Remote, US

Salary Range: $175,000 USD - $210,000 USD

Salary Basis: Annual

Please note that the salary range listed above reflects Antora Energy's estimated pay for this position. The actual salary offered will be within the posted range and determined based on several factors including but not limited to a candidate's experiences, credentials and expertise, as they pertain to the position's requirements.

In addition to a competitive base salary, Antora Energy's Total Rewards program includes equity compensation in the form of stock options, a premium health benefits package with life and disability insurance, a 401K plan with employer contributions, flexible spending accounts, and an industry leading paid-time-off policy that features flexible and inclusive holiday observance, as well as paid volunteer time off.

Benefits

Compensation & Paid Time Off

• Competitive salary
• Stock options
• 401k plan with company match
• Clean commute stipend
• 15 paid vacation days per year, increasing with tenure
• 12 paid holidays (10 fixed, 2 of your choosing)
• 16 hours of volunteer time off
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave
• 24 hours of wellbeing time off

Health & Wellness

• Comprehensive medical coverage for employees & dependents
• Health savings account option with employer contribution
• Vision, dental, and life coverage
• Flexible spending account & dependent care account options
• Subsidized backup childcare, senior care, and petcare
• 80 hours of sick leave
• Personalized access to mental health support

Facilities & Community

• Kitchen with a variety of healthy snacks & drinks
• On-site gym with fitness equipment
• On-site showers and bike parking
• Dedicated mothers' room
• Team volunteer events
• Monthly social gatherings
• Foosball table and lawn games for breaks and friendly competition