Y Combinator CAE Engineer
Hardware at TRACTIAN
The Hardware team is responsible for designing and improving our IoT devices, dealing with every step of the development process, ranging from PCB design, firmware programming, case design, validations and certifications, always aiming to build trustworthy products that can be produced at a mass scale.
What you'll do
As a CAE Engineer at Tractian, you'll drive the innovation and development of our IIoT solutions. Collaborating across teams, you'll apply your expertise in mechanics and design to create high-performance products that redefine industrial asset management. From concept to execution, your role will shape Tractian's industry-leading technology, ensuring top-tier quality and functionality in every solution we deliver.Responsibilities
- Set up and run FEM analyses: linear/nonlinear static, modal transient, random, frequency response, explicit, durability.
- Analyze vibrational behavior, derive FRFs, and interpret mode shapes to optimize performance.
- Apply DOE, response surfaces, optimization, and uncertainty analyses to explore design space and quantify risk.
- Plan and perform tests for model correlation and validation.
- Partner with test teams on accelerated life testing, translating field data into test requirements and simulation inputs.
- Script pre/post-processing (Python, MATLAB) to scale studies and improve modeling quality.
- Document standards, templates, and best practices; propose new methods to capture physics and speed up iteration.
- Work closely with product development, manufacturing, supplier quality, and production teams, guiding decisions with technical data.
- Deliver clear reports and presentations explaining assumptions, modeling choices, limitations, and design implications.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Mechatronics, or related engineering field.
- Strong understanding of FEM fundamentals, with hands-on experience.Ability to explain model behavior and link results to underlying physics.
- Experience in test-based model calibration/validation and correlating simulation with experimental data.
- Knowledge of fatigue analysis and durability assessment.
- Proficiency in Python and/or MATLAB for data processing, automation, and custom tool development.
- Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment.
- Proactive, self-directed learner who goes beyond the brief to resolve issues.
- Advanced English level.
- Live in or have availability to move to São Paulo.
Bonus points
- Expertise in vibration and structural dynamics.
- Experience in optimization, robust/stochastic design, and uncertainty quantification.
- Hands-on experience with FEA pre-processing tools and solvers (e.g., Abaqus, Ansys, OptiStruct, Nastran, Radioss, HyperMesh/ANSA).