Senior Equipment Specialist

Overview

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross‑fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation.

The Senior Equipment Specialist works in one of Draper’s production areas (e.g. circuit card assembly and system assembly) and is responsible for the reliability and upkeep of the manufacturing equipment in that space. Duties include troubleshooting equipment issues, conducting preventative maintenance, repairing and installing equipment, working with external vendors, creating training plans, certifying operators and equipment specialists in operation and maintenance, generating and maintaining SOPs, and developing plans for sparing and maintenance.

A Senior Equipment Specialist may also perform process development or support process and product engineering in process development exercises. This role is an onsite position and is not eligible for remote work.

• Maintain manufacturing equipment and ensure operational efficiency in a dynamic environment.
• Serve as a SME on a given platform or family of complex equipment.
• Provide support to the Production team with challenges involved with running a high‑mix manufacturing environment.
• Ensure the reliability and performance of manufacturing equipment.
• Plan, maintain, troubleshoot, and perform preventive maintenance on equipment to ensure operational efficiency.
• Ensure pre‑production acceptance methods result in product robustness and high work cell capacity and validate out‑of‑control action plan effectiveness to minimize operational risk.
• Apply structured problem‑solving methods to address equipment issues and improve processes.
• Collaborate with vendors to ensure positive outcomes and effective maintenance solutions.
• Develop and execute sparing strategies for manufacturing equipment and research and organize spare parts provisioning.
• Write procedures and specifications for equipment maintenance and operation.
• Train new employees on maintenance protocols and safety procedures; train operators on proper operation of equipment.
• Maintain training records and input status of equipment in MES (Tool Up or Down conditions).
• Perform process development; mentor and train equipment specialists on maintenance procedures.
• Repair, install equipment, and follow qualification protocols set by process engineering for equipment acceptance.
• Assess and mitigate operational risks related to equipment or its integration; participate in corrective and preventive action planning and continuous improvement activities.
• Participate in capital expenditure planning, identifying and reviewing new equipment purchases.
• Coordinate facility sustaining mechanical needs and support installation and movement of all equipment within the facility, coordinating with operations, engineering and facilities.
• Manage budgets and schedules for facility planning and execute to appropriate milestone plans.
• Serve as facility point of contact for calibration coordination.

• Relevant technical experience in equipment maintenance.
• Proven ability to work in a dynamic environment and deliver results.
• Detail‑oriented with strong fundamentals in core equipment engineering functions.
• Excellent diagnostic and troubleshooting skills for process/equipment interactions.
• Practical experience applying structured problem‑solving methods.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Initiative to address and appropriately elevate problems for rapid resolution.

Associate’s degree in engineering, chemistry, materials science, or STEM related field required;
Bachelor’s degree preferred.

5+ years experience in a manufacturing environment performing equipment maintenance.

Applicants selected for this position will…