Director of Mechanical Engineering, Hardware Platform

About the role

The Atomic Machines team is excited to unveil a groundbreaking first device made possible by the Matter Compiler™ technology platform. Our offices are located in Emeryville and Santa Clara, California.

Responsibilities

• Own the hardware architecture for Atomic Machines' platform and Node systems, including mechanisms, kinematics, structures, thermal control, sensing, actuation, fixturing, serviceability, and interfaces to software, controls, and manufacturing.
• Lead the design and development of precision motion subsystems, including stages, gantries, rotary axes, Z / force axes, end-effectors, fixturing, and in-situ metrology.
• Drive hardware requirements, error budgets, and subsystem specifications for precision, throughput, reliability, accuracy, repeatability, stiffness, settle time, drift, uptime, MTBF, and MTTR.
• Guide architectural decisions and technical tradeoffs across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, vision, manufacturing, and supply chain domains.
• Ensure platform and Node hardware is designed for scalability, calibration, alignment, serviceability, and manufacturing readiness.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience developing complex robotics, precision automation, advanced manufacturing systems, or dynamic mechanical precision systems.
• 7+ years of experience managing engineering teams, including senior engineers; experience managing managers and/or directors is strongly preferred.
• Deep technical expertise in precision mechanism design, robotics, motion systems, stiffness / compliance, vibration and dynamics, thermal drift, error budgeting, practical metrology, actuators, motors, and electromechanical systems.
• Demonstrated ownership of hardware systems from early prototype through manufacturing ramp and sustained production or field operation.
• Strong command of mechanical engineering fundamentals, detailed design, drawings, GD&T, tolerance stack-ups, DFM, DFA, DFS, and supplier collaboration.
• Experience selecting and integrating sensors and actuators, including encoders, force / torque sensors, vision systems, capacitive or inductive sensors, pneumatics, motors, bearings, and related components.
• Experience leading teams through the full product development lifecycle: requirements, architecture, design, implementation, debug, verification, validation, qualification, and transfer to manufacturing.
• Experience building hardware test and validation frameworks, including DVP&R, fixture design, automated test where appropriate, and clear pass / fail criteria tied to requirements.
• Strong reliability and failure analysis skills, including DFMEA, PFMEA, RCA, DOE, CAPA, wear, fatigue, contamination, and production debug.
• Ability to engage productively in whiteboard brainstorming, drive clarity on ambiguous requirements, and influence alignment across multiple teams and technical disciplines.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with an ability to create clear documentation and communicate technical context at the right altitude.
• High autonomy and ability to make meaningful progress in ambiguity.
• Strong collaboration skills and the judgment to ask the right questions.
• Creativity, inventiveness, and a first-principles approach to solving hard technical problems.
• Cultural alignment with Atomic Machines' values: disciplined thinking, high standards, accountability, truth-seeking teamwork, and a bias toward building.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Experience with sub-micron or micron-scale precision systems.
• Experience with advanced manufacturing, semiconductor equipment, robotics, automation, industrial machinery, or high-performance hardware platforms.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary hardware organizations across mechanical engineering, opto-mechanics, test, validation, and manufacturing transfer.
• Experience building teams in a high-growth or early-stage technical environment.
• Experience operating in a fast-paced hardware development environment where prototype iteration, factory deployment, and production learning happen in tight loops.

Skills

• Experience with rapid prototyping and scalable production manufacturing processes, including machining, sheet metal, injection molding, assembly, inspection, and test.
• Knowledge of reliability and failure analysis tools and techniques, including DFMEA, PFMEA, RCA, DOE, CAPA, wear, fatigue, contamination, and production debug.
• Ability to engage in whiteboard brainstorming, drive clarity on ambiguous requirements, and influence alignment across multiple teams and technical disciplines.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with an ability to create clear documentation and communicate technical context at the right altitude.
• High autonomy and ability to make meaningful progress in ambiguity.
• Strong collaboration skills and the judgment to ask the right questions.
• Creativity, inventiveness, and a first-principles approach to solving hard technical problems.

Benefits

• Atomic Machines offers a competitive salary range of $275,000 USD - $320,000 USD, including equity and benefits.

Pay

• $275,000 USD - $320,000 USD

Schedule

• Full-time