Mechanical Engineer - Precision Systems

Responsibilities

• Design and iterate on precision machines, motion stages, structural loops, metrology frames, opto-mechanical mounts, test fixtures, and inspection tooling targeting sub-micron to nanometer performance
• Lead mechanical system integration, alignment procedures, and cross-team coordination with electrical, controls, and optics engineers
• Drive mechanical design of frames, stages, and assemblies with GD&T, tolerance analysis, and a practical eye toward manufacturability and assembly
• Rapidly prototype, build and characterize new designs on the bench using a variety of tools and characterization equipment
• Select and integrate precision components: bearings, encoders, interferometers, actuators, isolators, and dampers
• Develop error budgets and tolerance stack-ups; identify and mitigate dominant error sources (thermal, vibrational, structural, kinematic)

Required Experience

• 3 years designing and building precision mechanical systems that had to hit real accuracy and repeatability targets
• Working fluency in precision machine design fundamentals: exact-constraint design, kinematic couplings, flexures, error budgeting, structural loops, tolerance analysis
• Hands-on prototyping, fabrication, assembly, and alignment experience — you're comfortable on a mill, on a granite surface plate, and behind an interferometer
• Experience selecting and integrating precision components (bearings, stages, encoders, isolators, actuators)
• Experience with dimensional metrology: interferometry, LVDTs, capacitance probes, autocollimators, and CMMs

Nice-to-have

• Formal training in precision engineering
• Experience at an early-stage startup
• Familiarity with firmware, controls, or electrical engineering
• Opto-mechanical design and alignment experience

Compensation

• Annual salary range: $115,000 – $180,000
• Total compensation includes generous equity