Mechanical Engineer

Position: Staff Mechanical Engineer
Job Title:

Staff Mechanical Engineer

Job Description

The Staff Mechanical Engineer serves as a recognized subject matter expert in the design and development of advanced manufacturing tooling and equipment. This role leads high-impact engineering programs, defines system architecture, and partners closely with leadership to solve complex technical challenges and advance next-generation manufacturing platforms. The engineer drives technical direction, develops robust and scalable equipment solutions, and ensures alignment with process and manufacturing requirements for cutting-edge thin-film, vacuum, and superconductor-related applications.

Responsibilities

+ Lead the design and development of advanced manufacturing tooling and equipment, with a focus on thin-film, vacuum, and related process technologies.

+ Define and own the mechanical architecture of complex tools and systems, ensuring scalability, robustness, and manufacturability.

+ Drive full product development lifecycle activities from concept and requirements definition through detailed design, prototyping, validation, and release to production.

+ Design, model, and document mechanical components and assemblies using Solid Works, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and adherence to engineering standards.

+ Apply computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and related analysis methods to optimize system performance, including thermal, fluid, and vacuum behavior.

+ Develop and refine tooling and equipment for processes such as CVD and PVD, ensuring they meet performance, safety, and reliability targets.

+ Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including process engineering, manufacturing, operations, and leadership, to align equipment design with process needs and factory capabilities.

+ Lead cross-functional technical initiatives, providing technical direction, guidance, and mentorship to other engineers and contributors.

+ Troubleshoot complex mechanical and system-level issues, identify root causes, and implement effective corrective actions.

+ Ensure that equipment designs support efficient installation, operation, maintenance, and continuous improvement in a production environment.

+ Prepare and present technical reviews, design justifications, and status updates to stakeholders and leadership.

+ Champion best practices in mechanical design, analysis, and documentation to support high-quality, repeatable manufacturing outcomes.

Essential Skills

+ Demonstrated subject matter expertise in mechanical design and development of advanced manufacturing tooling and equipment.

+ Hands-on CVD tool building and design experience, with the ability to create tooling solutions from concept through deployment.

+ Proficiency with Solid Works for 3D modeling, assemblies, and detailed mechanical drawings.

+ Experience using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools and methods to analyze and optimize mechanical systems.

+ Proven ability to create or develop products from day one and lead them through the entire product development lifecycle.

+ In-depth experience working with complex systems, including design from scratch, rather than only maintaining or upgrading mature equipment.

+

Experience with thin-film and vacuum-related mechanical systems, including PVD and related process equipment.

+ Prior leadership of cross-functional technical initiatives, demonstrating the ability to coordinate and guide multi-disciplinary teams.

+ Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to address complex technical challenges in a structured and systematic way.

+ Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Additional

Skills & Qualifications

+ Experience in designing equipment or tooling for advanced materials manufacturing, such as superconductor-related applications.

+ Background in developing robust, scalable mechanical solutions for high-value capital equipment.

+ Exposure to next-generation manufacturing platforms and automation-focused equipment design.

+ Experience working on high-visibility, high-impact engineering programs with significant external funding or strategic importance.

+ Demonstrated ability to influence technical…