# Director of Mechanical Engineering, Hardware Platform

**Company:** [Atomicmachines](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/atomicmachines)
**Location:** Emeryville, CA, Santa Clara, CA
**Role:** Hardware Engineering
**Salary:** $275k – $320k/yr
**Experience:** 15+ years
**Skills:** Precision Mechanism Design, Robotics, Motion Systems, GD&T, Tolerance Analysis, DFM, Dfa, Dfmea, Pfmea, Actuators, Motors, Sensors, Vision Systems, Kinematics, Thermal Control
**Posted:** 2026-05-20

> Lead and scale a mechanical engineering team developing precision hardware platforms and automation nodes for a micromanufacturing system. Own architecture, design, prototyping through production, and cross-functional coordination.

## Job Description

## Hardware Platform and Node Architecture
- 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.

## Mechanical Engineering Technical Leadership
- Provide deep technical leadership in mechanical design for robotics, precision automation, and advanced manufacturing systems.
- Establish and maintain high standards for design reviews, design documentation, interface control documents, GD&T, tolerance analysis, DFMEA / PFMEA, verification and validation plans, and engineering change control.
- Drive disciplined engineering practices while maintaining speed, creativity, and first-principles problem solving.
- Engage directly in technical problem solving as needed with a “do whatever it takes” mindset.
- Partner with teams to debug complex hardware, factory, and system-level issues with urgency and rigor.
- Build scalable calibration and compensation strategies into the hardware, including datums, fiducials, kinematic mounts, reference artifacts, automated calibration, and drift detection.

## Prototype-to-Production Execution
- Lead hardware development from concept and early prototypes through design implementation, debug, verification, validation, qualification, manufacturing transfer, and production ramp.
- Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to build the prototype-to-production pipeline for Node and platform hardware.
- Drive DFM, DFA, DFS, supplier strategy, first-article inspection, incoming quality, build documentation, assembly fixtures, test fixtures, and stable production yields.
- Establish reliability engineering practices, including lifetime testing, wear testing, thermal cycling, vibration testing, contamination control, FRACAS, root cause analysis, preventive maintenance design, and reliability growth metrics.
- Ensure hardware systems are robust, manufacturable, serviceable, and ready for sustained operation in Atomic Machines’ Hybrid Fab and future production environments.

## Cross-Functional Coordination and Planning
- Partner with leaders across software, controls, electrical engineering, vision, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, program management, and company leadership to define requirements, align priorities, and anticipate technical and resource risks.
- Collaborate with leadership and program management to define clear objectives, milestones, timelines, dependencies, and success criteria.
- Represent the Hardware Platform team in broader program and company-level planning discussions.
- Ensure the team’s work is accurately planned, resourced, communicated, and tracked.
- Drive clarity and alignment in ambiguous technical and organizational situations.

## Team Leadership and Management
- Lead, develop, and scale a high-performing hardware engineering organization, including senior individual contributors, managers, and potentially directors.
- Hire exceptional mechanical, hardware, opto-mechanical, test, and validation engineers to support Atomic Machines’ long-term strategy.
- Cultivate a culture of high standards, technical rigor, accountability, collaboration, and truth-seeking.
- Assign team members effectively across platform and cross-functional engineering efforts.
- Provide technical guidance, coaching, mentorship, and career development for team members.
- Manage performance clearly and directly while creating an environment where exceptional engineers can do their best work.
- Align team priorities with company objectives and ensure the team works effectively within company processes.

## What You’ll Need
- 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.
- Demonstrated knowledge of rapid prototyping and scalable production manufacturing processes.

## Similar roles

- [Director, Global Quantum System Deployment](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/72bcbb66-a295-42d2-8247-2fa09cb10997) - Rigetti Computing - Berkeley, CA - $240k – $275k/yr
- [Director of Mechanical Engineering](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/5360d2d8-efe7-4df5-bf5b-66b23510fa22) - Eightsleep - San Francisco, CA - $225k – $300k/yr
- [Director, Structures - Design](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/490f0163-3cf7-48e4-b8eb-1cc81db7e27e) - Shield AI - Remote - $210k – $320k/yr
- [Director/Senior Manager, Electronics Engineering](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/37a78be2-bac5-4799-acab-42b7c3730c98) - Fourier - Mountain View, CA - $185k – $250k/yr
- [Head of Quality & Reliability](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/7b788ec8-e7b3-4f34-818a-3ccfd69b20dc) - Northwood Space - Los Angeles, CA - $170k – $235k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/4219f90f-e1e3-444d-8278-1069b2ffd439
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/4219f90f-e1e3-444d-8278-1069b2ffd439