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Power conversion is the bottleneck between the compute, energy, and mobility industries and the future they're trying to build. Most of the industry is still solving it with decades-old approaches. Tau is fixing that. We're a venture-backed hardtech company in Redwood City, building power conversion technology for data centers, EVs, and energy systems. Several products are already moving into production.Â
We hire people who own problems end-to-end: power electronics, embedded software, controls, test and validation, mechanical design. We solve from first principles, not legacy playbooks. We're past "promising technology." Customers are buying, volume is coming, and the people who join now set the standard everyone builds on after.
Who you areYou think in systems, and you build for reality. You'd rather ship the simplest reliable answer to an engineering question than the most sophisticated one. You know the difference between complexity that earns its keep and complexity for its own sake.
You default to structure without needing to be told to. You see a recurring issue and build the fix that prevents it from recurring, not just the fix for today. You document because someone else needs to be able to run this without you in the room, not because you were asked to.
You have real judgment about risk. You know when "good enough" is actually good enough, and when it isn't, and you're comfortable being the person who says so even when it's inconvenient. High-voltage safety, interlocks, fault handling: you don't treat these as boxes to check; you treat them as the reason the job matters.
You want ownership over a domain that's core to how the whole engineering org performs, and you want to be measured on the capability you build, not just the hours you put in.
Our Engineering Approach
Innovation shows what's possible. Disciplined engineering creates products. Creative ideas matter only when they become reliable, manufacturable products that solve customer problems.
Think in systems. Optimize the product before the subsystem. Make tradeoffs that improve the complete system.
Engineering judgment matters. Apply the rigor the risk requires. Decide when enough evidence exists—and change course when better evidence emerges.
Design for reality. Design for manufacturing, validation, reliability, serviceability, safety, and cost from the beginning.
Raise the standard. Leave the products, engineering systems, and people around you better than you found them.
About the role
The best labs have someone everyone relies on, and almost nobody has to ask for. The bench is built before it's needed. The tool is where you left it. The fixture works the first time because someone thought it through in advance. That's this role.
You're not a support function bolted onto engineering; you're inside it. You'll build prototypes, build the benches and infrastructure engineers work on, keep the lab in a state where anyone can walk in and get to work, and support validation from setup through teardown. When five things need attention at once, that's a normal Tuesday, not a crisis.
No hand-off delays. No waiting on someone else to get the lab ready. You will not be measured by how busy you are, but by how much engineering moves faster because you’re here.
Areas of ownership
Prototype assembly and bench building
- Build prototype powertrains, subassemblies, fixtures, and test benches from engineering intent
- Support first builds alongside engineers
- Catch assembly issues early and flag practical fixes, not just problems
- Capture build observations that make the next design better
Engineering test support
- Prepare hardware for validation: instrumentation, wiring, plumbing, sensors, mechanical integration
- Support commissioning, debugging, and engineering investigations
- Operate lab equipment during development activities
Lab readiness
- Keep the lab organized, clean, and safe as a default state, not a cleanup event
- Manage inventory, consumables, fixtures, and prototype materials
- Prepare equipment and work areas ahead of need
- Support purchasing, receiving, and material organization
- Find and fix the small workflow frictions that slow engineering down
Equipment and tool stewardship
- Maintain lab equipment and prototype hardware: routine maintenance, inspection, calibration, minor repair
- Catch equipment issues before they interrupt someone's build
- Improve equipment documentation and operating procedures
Cross-functional support
- Work directly with Mechanical, Electrical, Test Systems, Manufacturing, and Program Management
- Translate engineering intent into high-quality builds
- Communicate build issues, risks, and observations clearly and early
Technical foundation
You'll likely have working knowledge of some mix of the following. We're less interested in checking every box than in judgment and hands-on capability.
- Mechanical assembly of electromechanical systems
- Precision measurement and inspection equipment
- Reading engineering drawings, assembly documentation, basic GD&T
- Hand tools, shop equipment, lab equipment
- Fastener installation and torque practices
- Wiring, plumbing, tubing, prototype integration
- Safe lab practices
- Inventory and material organization
- Basic calibration, equipment maintenance, troubleshooting
Experience
Relevant background helps: automotive, aerospace, robotics, industrial equipment, manufacturing, R&D labs, motorsports, or similar hands-on environments. Technical training, apprenticeship, military technical experience, or an associate's degree are all reasonable paths in.
We're open to candidates across experience levels and backgrounds. If you can point to something you built, fixed, or kept running and are proud of the standard you held yourself to, we want to talk to you.
What success looks like in year one
- Engineers trust the hardware you build, without double-checking it
- The lab runs better because you're in it, organization, tooling, documentation, all up a notch
- You've caught problems before they cost someone else a day
- People come to you when something needs to get done right and fast
Compensation and Benefits
US Salary Information
$65,000 - $173,000
Tau is committed to paying competitive compensation that is fair and equitable. Your experience, qualifications, training, critical skills, and/or business considerations determine your compensation. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package that may include an annual performance bonus, equity, and other incentive compensation plans considered part of Tau’s total compensation package. To learn more about our top-tier benefits, please visit www.taumotors.com. The level will depend on the candidate’s experience. Our ideal candidate exhibits a can-do attitude and approaches his or her work with vigor and determination. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate excellence in their respective fields and possess the ability to learn quickly within a fast-paced environment.
- Become part of an emerging company during a rapid growth phase—within an industry undergoing dramatic transformation for a global imperative.
- Work with some of the smartest and most talented experts from different fields to: (1) attack some of the most pressing issues of today while (2) contributing to technically demanding and deeply innovative solutions.
- Growth potential—we advance team members who have an outsized impact.
- Competitive compensation based upon experience level, including stock options—we believe in capturing value in the future we create together.
- Flexible time off and paid holidays.
- Centrally located in the Bay Area on the Peninsula in vibrant downtown Redwood City
- Blocks from the Caltrain
- Walking distance to food and entertainment
- Easy access to both the 101 and 280
- Excellent medical, dental, vision & life insurance
- Comprehensive benefits including 401(k), HSA and FSA benefits, commuter benefits and more
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