Sr./Staff Compliance Engineer — San Jose

Antora Energy delivers affordable, reliable energy to industry, data centers, and the grid. Our thermal batteries turn low-cost electricity into always-on heat and power, without supply-constrained critical minerals or multi-year construction timelines. We are growing our company with people who put team and mission first, value connection through laughter and joy, and work with humility and openness. We are committed to building a diverse, passionate, and creative team dedicated to a future powered by abundant, clean, low-cost energy. Position Summary We are seeking a Sr./Staff Compliance Engineer to establish and own Antora's compliance strategy as we design and scale our future generation thermal batteries. Thermal energy storage does not fit neatly into existing codes and standards, and the requirements being written today at NFPA, ASME, ASHRAE, and UL, as well as the associated European and Australian regulatory frameworks, will shape our product's cost, performance, and ability to deploy across jurisdictions for years to come. As we move toward high-volume factory production, late design changes and project-by-project compliance become increasingly costly. You will be the deeply technical, creative engineer who shapes how codes and standards are written while we design the product: using product goals and engineering evidence to influence requirements, and using standards discussions to inform design choices so that safety, cost, performance, and deployability are optimized together. You will work with module, plant, and test engineers to build a clear, reusable safety case that permitting authorities and certifiers will accept, develop practical certification pathways with AHJs and NRTLs, and lead Antora toward NRTL listing so our products can be permitted, commissioned, and operated safely and predictably at scale, with industry-leading speed to power. This role will report to the Product Management team, working in close partnership with product development, engineering, testing, projects, and EH&S. Roles & Responsibilities • Own Antora's compliance strategy across product design, testing, and deployment. Define certification boundaries and supporting evidence, including module-to-plant dependencies, and support module, plant, and test engineers' work on hazards and safe failure behavior. Coordinate with engineering and testing teams on the analyses and tests needed for compliance. • Build the safety case and certification pathways. Develop a clear, reusable safety case grounded in analysis and test evidence, and build early, collaborative relationships with AHJs and NRTLs/certifiers to establish practical acceptance pathways for upcoming deployments. • Lead Antora's codes and standards advocacy with NFPA, ASME, ASHRAE, UL Standards & Engagement, and other relevant bodies: participate in working groups and task groups, propose language, and build support for technically sound requirements. Decide with engineering when to change the design and when to advocate for a better requirement. • Inform project-level certification strategy until listing is in place. For each site, assess the AHJ's likely requirements and the probability, cost, and schedule impact of field certification versus alternatives (e.g., state machinery designation). Align project, commercial, and engineering stakeholders on the approach and run the effort with minimal draw on the core project execution team. • Develop a long-term UL/NRTL certification strategy aligned with the product roadmap, achieving NRTL listing so field certification is no longer needed and supporting Antora's shift from field work to high-volume factory production. • Build a comprehensive codes and standards database covering current and future products across domestic and international jurisdictions, translating dense standards into clear requirements engineering can execute on, and use it to drive knowledge transfer and traceability into design, manufacturing, and commissioning processes. • Recommend environmental design standards (e.g., ASCE 7, IEC 62305, IP ratings) and their applicability to TES field, balance of plant, and electrical systems, translating dense standards into requirements engineering can execute on. Help determine which conditions require survival vs. operability, derive enveloping environmental conditions for each generation's target markets, and advise on when distinct product versions are needed for different geographies (e.g., reinforced structures for high-seismic regions). • Help write Antora's first company product safety and reliability policy in partnership with EH&S and reliability teams, following industry best practices per ISO 12100 and other standards: set risk acceptance criteria, hazard analysis requirements at design gates, and management of change for safety-critical designs. • Typical travel of ~15–25% for standards meetings, AHJ/certifier engagements, and project sites. Key Qualifications • Bachelor's or equivalent in mechanical, electrical, chemical, fire protection, or related engineering field and 8+ years of experience in product compliance, certification, safety engineering, or codes and standards for energy, industrial, or high-hazard equipment • Deep, first-principles safety judgment: starts from human safety and real risk, reasons from hazards and failure behavior to requirements, and treats standards as tools rather than relying solely on prescriptive code language • Pragmatic and flexible: drives toward simple, effective requirements grounded in real risk, and is comfortable working through cost tradeoffs with engineering • Hands-on experience taking novel or first-of-a-kind equipment through certification and permitting, including working directly with AHJs and NRTLs/certifiers (e.g., UL, CSA, TÜV, Intertek) • Working fluency in the codes and standards governing energy storage and industrial energy facilities — e.g., NFPA 855/70 (NEC), UL 9540, ASME, IFC/IBC, ASCE 7 • Experience building safety cases and supporting hazard analyses and test programs (e.g., FMEA, HAZOP, fault tree analysis) with engineering and testing teams • Persuasive technical communicator who can influence standards committees, regulators, certifiers, and internal engineering leaders, and build consensus among stakeholders with competing priorities • Comfortable operating in ambiguity: identifies the highest compliance risks early, scopes them, drives them to resolution, and knows when to escalate • Strong commercial judgment — connects compliance decisions to product cost, schedule, and deployment risk • AI-fluent: high level of comfort with leading AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) and strong instincts for which workflows to automate • Motivated by impact beyond self-interest: believes in the mission, puts team and mission first, works with humility and openness, and sticks through hard stretches Additional Qualifications Desired • Active participation in standards development organizations (NFPA, ASME, ASHRAE, UL Standards & Engagement, IEC), including drafting proposed code language • Experience with thermal energy storage, battery energy storage, high-temperature systems, or pressure equipment • Experience leading a product from field certification to NRTL listing for high-volume production • Familiarity with state-by-state permitting, including the Midwest and Texas (e.g., Texas, Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Illinois) • Familiarity with international codes and standards (e.g., IEC, EU, Australia) • Experience writing or implementing company safety and reliability policies, risk acceptance criteria, or management-of-change processes (ISO 12100, IEC 61508, or similar) • Hardware startup, new-industry, or first-of-a-kind deployment experience • PE license or fire protection credentials Work Location: Hybrid- San Jose, CA Salary Range: $171,000 USD - $235,000 USD Sala ry 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. When it comes to stopping climate change, we need everyone. We believe that having a diversity of backgrounds and experiences strengthens all of us, and we strive to create an environment where every one of us is empowered to create meaningful change.