You are here: Jobs / Senior Mechanical Engineer @ TouchWind

Senior Mechanical Engineer

About TouchWind  

TouchWind was founded in 2018 based on an idea that was developed over 30 years. This idea involves a two-bladed, one-piece rotor that is designed to operate with a skewed inflow. The design allows for a more elegant tower construction, a less complex rotor, and therefore a lower cost price. Furthermore, the skewed inflow creates advantages that can lead to a higher wind farm yield. (For more information, see our website www.touchwind.org)  

TouchWind work ethos  

TouchWind is a young company in its start-up phase of development. The technology is novel and exciting. The work ethos and ambiance at TouchWind are reflected well by these circumstances. The atmosphere is informal, low profile, and direct. This type of challenge calls for creative thinkers who have the ability to both go into detail, while not losing the overall picture. Furthermore, it takes a kind of rebellious mentality and a bit of stubbornness to fully go for such a crazy idea where ‘the wheel’ gets reinvented.  

TouchWind’s Project  

TouchWind is working on the design and testing of the TouchWind rotor. In 2020 we started our collaboration with multiple partners to develop a so-called 'Proof of principle’ which is now being tested. Currently, we have started a new project called 'Positive wake effects of wind turbines with tilted rotors', where ten turbines with a 6-meter diameter will be developed and tested, to form an offshore wind farm. The partners we collaborate with are TNO & MARIN, two independent research institutions, We4Ce, a wind turbine rotor specialist, a (large) industrial partner namely Nidec and a fabricator VDL. Together with our partners, we received a multimillion-euro grant from the Rijksdienst Voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) to support both projects. During these projects, we are continuing research into full-scale turbines.  

The Technology  

The concept is, from an aerodynamic point of view, totally different than conventional turbines. Because the technology is this innovative, many tools for conventional wind turbines do not apply to the TouchWind technology.  

This means that the work we are doing is often fundamental. A big challenge lies in setting up the models to fully understand the behavior of our turbine and the airflow around it. This is done both by empirical experiments and by simulations. Another challenge lies in the realization of the scaled-down setups. These set-ups in general have two purposes, demonstrating the technology and researching various aspects of the technology.  

In general, the challenge is to increase the technology readiness level (TRL) while ensuring future competitiveness during scaling up. Becoming competitive in the current wind turbine market is of course incredibly tough, but we believe our technology can really make a difference. If you see this tough challenge as exciting, you might have the right attitude for TouchWind!  

You will be working on:  

As a senior mechanical engineer, you are leading a team responsible for the design and analysis of the floater, tower, nacelle, and hub design. This involves translating motions, forces, and moments to a design that lasts, can be produced, is cost-effective, and manufactured within the time constraints. This is done in consultation with your colleagues at TouchWind, VDL, TNO, MARIN, Nidec, and We4Ce. Additionally, it would be preferable if you have background in hydrodynamics and mooring, so you can design the mooring system of the ten turbines. 

We are looking for a colleague with the following attitude:  

• Pleasure in achieving things together  

• Being able to work independently  

• Hands-on mentality  

• Enthusiastic  

• Rebellious mentality, having the courage to do it differently  

• Flexible  

• Creative  

• Being able to understand complicated problems throughout, while not losing the overall picture.  

• Interested in a multidisciplinary approach  

• Taking responsibility for one’s own work  

• Enjoying building something from the ground up, with all its inseparable pros and cons  

We are looking for a colleague with the following qualifications: 

• Higher professional education in Mechanical-, Marine-, and Offshore Engineering  

• Preferable 5-10 years of professional experience, in offshore wind energy or preferably floating wind energy  

• High skills in 3D CAD (preferably Solid Works)  

• Being able to perform and analyze FEM simulations and checking it by hand calculations  

• Understanding of the practicalities related to offshore operations 

• Preferable basic knowledge about hydrodynamics and mooring 

• Excellent communication and teamwork skills  

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both Dutch(required) and English (wish)  

• Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)  

Our offer  

• A full-time position, 32-hour working-week  

• We offer a competitive salary, including holiday pay  

• You will be working with our great team on a breakthrough technology for a better future  

• The freedom to develop yourself and grow as the company does  

• You will start with a one-year contract, and this can become an indefinite-term contract  

Location and other matters  

• You will be based at TouchWind’s office in Eindhoven, with the possibility to work part-time from home  

• You can legally work in The Netherlands  

• We are looking for someone who can start as soon as possible 

Apply  

Please send your resume and motivation letter to info@touchwind.org. Please indicate in your motivation letter why you would like to work for TouchWind and what you can add to the company. We look forward to hearing from you.