Natel team members pose in the yard.

We’re looking for people who want to take action to protect the planet.

At Natel your work makes a difference

Join our effort to address climate change and biodiversity loss through sustainable water and energy solutions. We are looking for collaborative, optimistic, and mission-driven teammates to accelerate the clean energy transition with sustainable hydropower.

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Our Values

Own the outcome

As stewards of our company and of the planet, we are responsible for
creating solutions, products and services that do good in the world.

Excellence through innovation

Building the best solutions for people and the environment means taking
calculated risks that enable high impact.

Act with integrity

Our interactions with customers, stakeholders and each other are courteous, respectful, and honest. We assume positive intent and communicate with grace.

Operate as a team

We embrace individuality by amplifying each other’s strengths, while also recognizing that our greatest successes come from collaboration.

Practice gratitude

We acknowledge the research, knowledge, and effort that is foundational to our success and we strive to pay it forward for generations to come.

Perks & Benefits

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Inclusive, Mission-Driven Team Culture

We strive to create a community that celebrates the diverse backgrounds and unique talents of each team member, honors our shared commitment to improving the health of our planet, and makes space for different ways of thinking, feeling, and being. We are committed to fostering a culture that recognizes, includes, and respects all life.

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Workplace Centered Around Our People Being Their Best Selves

Whether you want to bring your pet to work or need a spot to take a shower after a morning bike ride, our Alameda office is designed to support the way you work best. We provide remote employees with the equipment they need to thrive in their home offices, and we host annual retreats to bring our whole internationally-distributed team together in person.

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Paid Time Off to Allow Full Lives Outside of Work

We think it’s incredibly important to take time off from work to pursue whatever it is that brings you joy away from the job, and we also understand that life takes unexpected turns. We offer 4 weeks paid vacation, as well as paid sick and family leave plans so you can take the time you need to care for yourself and your loved-ones.

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Comprehensive Medical, Dental, & Vision Coverage

Health care should not be something that keeps you up at night. We offer flexible, trans-inclusive healthcare plans, as well as dental and vision coverage so that you and your family have access to the care you need to live vibrant, healthy lives.

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Employee Rewards Program

In addition to regular cost-of-living raises and opportunities for advancement, we regularly celebrate good work with performance-based bonuses.

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401K Matching

Let us help you save for retirement with a generous 401k match that helps make your personal contributions go further towards meeting your savings goals.

Open Positions

Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Regional Manager

Opportunity

This O&M Regional Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of all hydro and dam related activities ensuring 24/7 conformance with safety, regulatory and other contractual agreements within the assigned region. This position will also be responsible for managing civil repairs, creating budgets, and interacting with various agencies, contractors, and engineering firms. The Regional Manager will report to the Director of Hydro and work in conjunction with the regulatory, business development, health and safety and other departments, as necessary. This position is remote but will require travel to projects as needed based on the requirements at the time along with supporting Natel's  FishSafe™ turbine  installations.

Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

  • Assure plants are operated and maintained in conformance with outlined agreements including federal, state and local requirements.

  • Manage a team of Operators assigned to the sites.

  • Manage and schedule personnel and third-party contractors to ensure immediate execution of corrective maintenance and emergency repairs.

  • Develop purchase orders for site and contractor needs. 

  • Approval of payment for purchase orders. 

  • Coordinate, track, and manage maintenance activities performed by site personnel and or third-party providers. 

  • Perform routine, scheduled, unscheduled, and corrective maintenance within the assigned region. This work may include civil, electrical, and mechanical.

  • Lead the rapid evaluation and troubleshooting of equipment and structures.

  • Support as needed with FishSafe™and other projects.

Other Duties

  • Provide or procure the support for operations as needed.

  • Interface with the necessary teams to develop and implement a multi-year maintenance plan.

  • Interface with the necessary internal or external teams to resolve issues relevant to the plants. 

  • Review environmental and regulatory compliance and develop into standardized plans.

  • Interface with the necessary teams for support of any procurement actions as required to support the region.

  • Management and implementation of capital and operational expenditures.

  • Support in the budgeting process for the sites.

  • Work with various departments writing work scopes, getting quotes, and scheduling work.

Required Skills & Qualifications

  • At least 4 years’ experience related to Hydro-Electric operations and maintenance or equivalent field experience.

  • Electrical license or demonstrated strong electrical background 

  • Ability to work as part of a team and involve others in decisions when appropriate.

  • Ability to take initiative in problem solving.

  • Ability to read drawings and schematics for electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, civil, concrete, and site layout.

  • Able to travel to remote sites.

  • Project Management experience is a plus.

  • Competence in use of a personal computer for word processing, spreadsheets, project scheduling, photo processing, and e-mail reporting.

Compensation & Benefits

The expected base salary range for this New York-based remote position is $99,000-$145,000, which encompasses three seniority levels. The final compensation offer including specific level and corresponding pay, will be determined based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, geographic location (within New York State), business needs, other compensation components, and/or market demands.

In addition to competitive salaries, we offer equity to new employees and incentive compensation  based on team performance.

We are proud to offer great benefits like 4 weeks of paid vacation, 2 weeks of paid sick leave, 401k matching, and health insurance (along with dental, vision and life insurance). We want our team to live full lives outside of work.

Location

  • This position is considered remote but requires a presence in New York State. 

  • Travel can average 50% of time.

Natel’s team and test facility is located in Alameda, California. About half of our employees work in person at the Alameda, California location on a regular basis, and the others are fully remote. As a distributed team, we communicate regularly using Slack and video conferencing. We make an effort to gather the full team in real life occasionally, and we plan more frequent gatherings for lunch and happy hours with the local team.

Our hiring process

Natel Energy is committed to building, supporting, and growing a diverse team. We have a standardized interview process designed to reduce individual bias, and have structured pay scales to prevent inequity. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Learn More and Apply

Hydraulic Design Engineer

Opportunity

Natel Energy is seeking a skilled and motivated turbine CFD design engineer to join our team! Natel designs, tests and implements high-performance FishSafe™ hydraulic turbines, helping the hydropower industry modernize while preserving biodiversity. You will join an exciting and fast paced team where we develop customized solutions for some of the largest turbines in the global fleet down to scale model performance test units.

You will help us achieve our goals of modernization, decarbonization, and biodiversity by designing and optimizing hydro turbine geometry from first principles through detailed CFD and, at times, through to physical scale model testing. You will work with other hydraulic design engineers at Natel to complete regular design deliverables for customers and partners, aid the commercial team with proposals, conduct R&D-related analysis and design work for test equipment, and improve and automate processes for increased throughput.

Prior experience in the hydro industry is a plus, but not required. A successful candidate will have a strong foundation of engineering fundamentals and systems design, with focused expertise in utilizing CFD to support system or product development. Candidates must be effective communicators, collaborators, and independent contributors. Candidates must also be creative and driven problem solvers, not satisfied with the status quo.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the modern hydro turbine industry with design and analysis techniques to produce competitive, efficient, fish-safe, and manufacturable turbine and hydropower facility designs and upgrades.

  • Utilize Siemens NX, STAR-CCM+, and other related tools as necessary for hydraulic turbine design, analysis, and optimization. Apply existing design and analysis workflows as well as develop new and improved methods and automations.

  • Become an expert in Natel’s system and product design space. Understand tradeoffs in hydraulic design performance, cost, and mechanical + operational implications; interpret and apply customer and site design requirements along with performance and fish survival models and test data; propose and deliver solutions (profiles, layouts, loads) and associated documentation.

  • Assess test data of sub- and full-scale systems to inform design approaches; design and participate in conducting performance tests. Document and report analysis and test approaches and results in formats ranging from tabular data to figures to publication-worthy reports and presentations.

Required Skills & Qualifications

  • At least 3 years experience in related role(s)

  • A bachelor’s degree or higher in an applicable engineering discipline (mechanical, aerospace, etc)

  • Competence with advanced CAD surfacing and parametric modeling techniques (preferably in Siemens NX)

  • Competence in single and multiphase aerodynamic or hydrodynamic CFD meshing and analysis, preferably with complete turbomachinery or other rotating systems, preferably with STAR-CCM+

  • Familiarity with data analysis and/or automation coding languages (eg. Python, Java)

  • A motivation to apply your skills and knowledge in a fast-paced R&D and production environment

  • An organized and data-driven approach to problem solving

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills: comfortable receiving as well as providing guidance and technical material from/to engineers, designers, technicians, and suppliers

  • Confidence in working independently to drive a project forward

Not Required, but Pluses:

  • Proficiency in Siemens NX surfacing techniques

  • Expertise in STAR-CCM+

  • Experience in the design or analysis of hydro turbines or pumps or turbomachinery in general

  • Both Windows and Linux based HPC setup and job management experience

  • Endorsements or certifications in applicable skill areas

Compensation & Benefits

The starting base salary range for this role is $120,000 - $170,000. This range may be modified in the future. Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, market location, business needs, other compensation components, and/or market demands.

In addition to competitive salaries, we offer equity to new employees and incentive compensation  based on team performance.

We are proud to offer great benefits like 4 weeks of paid vacation, 2 weeks of paid sick leave, 401k matching, and health insurance (along with dental, vision and life insurance). We want our team to live full lives outside of work.

Location

Natel’s team and test facility is located in Alameda, California. Willingness to relocate here is definitely a plus, but Natel will consider excellent remote candidates provided they can work west coast hours. Occasional travel may be required for supplier site visits, field testing, or similar.

About half of our employees work in person at the Alameda, California location on a regular basis, and the others are fully remote. As a distributed team, we communicate regularly using Slack and video conferencing. We make an effort to gather the full team in real life occasionally, and we plan more frequent gatherings for lunch and happy hours with the local team.

Our hiring process

Natel Energy is committed to building, supporting, and growing a diverse team. We have a standardized interview process designed to reduce individual bias, and have structured pay scales to prevent inequity. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Learn More and Apply
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Tatiana Emrat Marzan,
Testimonials

"I'm always encouraged by my manager and peers to ask for projects that help build/hone my skillset. In addition, as Natel grows, I get to add new skills and grow into unique and challenging roles. I believe these experiences are valuable for my career growth."

Tatiana Emrat Marzan,
Senior Hydropower Technical Associate
Sterling Watson,
Testimonials

"Natel has provided me the flexibility and support to pursue my passion for environmental impact through both original research and fast-paced product development."

Sterling Watson,
Staff Mechanical Engineer
Kizzie Brown,
Testimonials

"Everyone at Natel, regardless of their functional areas, seniority level or role, is passionate about environmental sustainability. It's unique to see such a consistent level of commitment to the same goals among such a diverse group of team members."

Kizzie Brown,
Chief Financial Officer
Owen Hale,
Testimonials

"There doesn't appear to be a singular brute force/one-size-fits-all solution to our energy and climate crisis — it appears that it's going to take multiple smaller solutions working together.  Natel is one of these small (yet critical!) solutions and it's a good feeling at the end of the day to know that you've spent that day contributing to a mission that truly matters."

Owen Hale,
Senior Mechanical Engineer