Mechanical Engineer
Mission
We are offering a position as mechanical engineer in the Group of Energy Materials at EPFL, Sion. Our highly interdisciplinary Lab (20 FTE, 1/3rd PhD students, 1/3rd postdocs, 1/3rd engineers) is part of the EPFL Mechanical Engineering Institute and specialised since 30 years in fuel cell and electrolysers, especially for high temperature (>600°C, solid oxide ceramics) and more recently also for low temperature (<100 °C, protonic and anionic exchange membrane polymers). Our fully equipped diagnostics lab mounts and investigates fuel cells / electrolysers, from components and single cells up to stacks and small systems (10 – 50 kW), testing durability/performance and identifying degradation phenomena. Experimental work is assisted by modeling and simulation on different levels.
We look to complement our engineer team. We design and build stacks, and different customized test benches to characterize our fuel cells, electrolysers, and more complex integrated systems including heat exchangers, chemical reactors, gas recirculation, safety sensors etc.
We are specifically looking for an additional mechanical engineer with a solid experience in computational fluid dynamics and structural mechanics. These competences will be applied during the design of low and high temperature fuel cells and electrolysers, including their balance of plants, under pressurized conditions.
Main duties and responsibilities
More specifically, within our ongoing projects, you will:
- help to finalize our main demonstration installation (10/30 kW full seasonal storage)
- help to construct our 30 kW chemical reactor (20 bar)
- deal with compression of H2, CO2, syngas (20-30 bar), and natural gas grid injection (5 bar)
- manage a 100-kW Power-to-Methane project including a novel electrolyser unit
- maintain and modify existing test benches
- support the design of new test benches (up to 30-50 kW / 50 bar)
- participate in the design of pressurised fuel cell / electrolyser concepts
Profile
- MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering
- Prior professional experience with process flow diagrams, P&ID and HAZOP.
- Prior professional experience with pressurization.
- Prior familiarity with fuel cells, electrolysers, chemical reactors is a plus but not a must.
- Good communication skills and working as part of a team
- Enthusiasm, curiosity, motivation, reactivity, organizational skills, rigor in experimental work
- At least good command of English and preferably also of French (though not mandatory for French)
We offer
- Employment at a renowned institution ranked among the leaders in engineering and technology
- Support for professional development through training and continuous learning opportunities
- Supportive and flexible work environment promoting work-life balance
- Language courses relevant to your role
- International multilingual working environment
- Discounts on public transport
Informations
Your application should contain:
• A motivation letter
• Your detailed CV
• Contact information
• Names and contact information of 2 or more references willing to write a recommendation letter
Application deadline: Apr 15th 2026
Contract Start Date: June 1st 2026 or as per mutual agreement
Activity Rate Min: 80%
Activity Rate Max: 100%
Contract Type: yearly renewed
Duration: up to 5 years
Only applications submitted through the online platform are considered.
For more information, please contact: jan.vanherle@epfl.ch, romain.jordan@epfl.ch, thibault.macherel@epfl.ch, sinclair.augereau@epfl.ch, chantal.donaghey@epfl.ch