Staff Mechanical Engineer

About the role

We are seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer to join our dynamic Mechanical Engineering Team. This role involves translating advanced theoretical concepts into manufacturable product designs, collaborating with optical engineers, scientists, and cross-functional development teams, and leading product hardware failure analysis and troubleshooting efforts.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with optical engineers, scientists, and cross-functional development teams to translate advanced theoretical concepts into manufacturable product designs.
• Design and develop high-precision optical and opto-mechanical assemblies for airborne and liquid particle counting systems.
• Design and develop highly reliable mechanical and opto-mechanical systems with consideration for manufacturability, serviceability, scalability, and long-term product performance.
• Perform advanced engineering analysis including CFD, thermal modeling, structural simulation, and tolerance analysis to optimize system performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Coordinate technical activities with external optical design firms, subsystem vendors, fabrication partners, and engineering suppliers.
• Ideate and transform concepts into reality by designing components in CAD, coordinating fabrication of parts, developing prototype hardware, and leading system-level verification activities.
• Lead product hardware failure analysis and troubleshooting efforts on prototype and legacy products.
• Prepare system block diagrams, technical specifications, engineering documentation, and statements of work.
• May serve as a technical project leader on smaller-scale hardware projects and lead teams of mechanical engineers and technicians on larger development efforts.
• Prepare for, lead, and participate in design reviews while documenting resulting actions, recommendations, and follow-up activities.
• Evaluate and apply emerging engineering technologies and methodologies, including AI-assisted and generative design tools, to improve product development efficiency and innovation.
• Mentor, coach, and provide technical leadership to junior and senior mechanical engineering team members, fostering professional growth, engineering rigor, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Support and drive risk management, configuration management, and engineering change control activities to ensure product quality, traceability, and reliability.
• Support product lifecycle activities including sustaining engineering, root cause analysis, design improvements, and manufacturing support.
• Continuously evaluate engineering processes for improvements in efficiency, quality, reliability, and safety.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience in advanced product development environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing high-precision optical and opto-mechanical systems.
• Experience collaborating with optical scientists and PhD-level engineering teams to translate theoretical designs into production-ready hardware.
• Strong proficiency in CAD design and mechanical system development; SolidWorks certification preferred.
• Hands-on experience with CFD, thermal analysis, and finite element analysis tools.
• Experience integrating commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and third-party subsystems into complex engineering products.
• Experience working with external engineering partners, suppliers, and optical design firms.
• Strong troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and prototype development skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Knowledge of Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), Quality by Design (QbD), LEAN engineering methodologies, or related structured product development approaches.
• Experience working within Agile hardware development environments and cross-functional iterative design processes.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted engineering or generative design tools.
• Experience in semiconductor, analytical instrumentation, aerospace, medical device, or other high-precision technology industries.