Staff/Senior Mechanical Engineer

About SirenOpt

At SirenOpt®, we are building the manufacturing intelligence layer for advanced materials. We help manufacturers visualize, understand, and control the material behavior that determines yield, performance, and safety across energy, aerospace, automotive, electronics, and semiconductor applications. 

We are working on this problem because advanced materials are becoming more critical and more complex, but the tools used to manufacture them have not kept pace. Manufacturers still lack real-time visibility into the small variations that shape quality on the line. We care because those invisible variations cause scrap, waste energy and materials, create higher costs, inconsistent product performance, and introduce avoidable safety risks. 

We developed PlasmaSens, our manufacturing intelligence platform, to close that visibility gap and to lay the foundation for truly autonomous manufacturing. 

We are uniquely suited to solve this problem because our expertise and our platform connect material science, plasma physics, machine learning, and manufacturing in one system.  The same core technology works in-line, at-line, and off-line, and across form factors ranging from electrodes and wafers to 3D components. That flexibility lets us meet manufacturers where they are and carry insight from the lab into mass production. 

We have deployed multiple PlasmaSens products with customers and collaborators across the United States, Japan, Germany, and Taiwan.  We pair that real-world experience with support from leading US, European, and Japanese venture investors, the National Science Foundation, the California Energy Commission, and the Department of Energy.  Our combination of differentiated technology, manufacturing experience, and global scientific and industry partnerships gives us the foundation to solve material variability at scale. 

About the job

Job Title: Staff/Senior Mechanical Engineer

Location: On-Site (San Leandro, CA)

Job Type: Full-Time

Role Overview

SirenOpt is seeking a Staff or Senior Mechanical Engineer to help us deliver a sensing and software platform that can be integrated inside high-volume thin film manufacturing lines. As an early-stage member of the SirenOpt team, you will be able to make a real impact on next-generation thin film technologies and help build a solid technical foundation upon which a small company can grow. The ideal candidate will learn new concepts quickly and take pride in the quality of their work. We expect that you will be able to apply sound engineering judgment to solve a wide range of technical challenges efficiently and creatively. Some ofthese problems may lie outside your core areas of expertise, so technical curiosity and a self-starting attitude are critical for success. 

This role offers an exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of technological innovation, working with cutting-edge systems in a collaborative and dynamic environment. If you are a driven and skilled engineer looking to make a significant impact in advanced manufacturing and the green energy transition, we encourage you to apply. 

What You'll Do

• Lead the mechanical design and validation of a low-temperature plasma-based metrology sensor platform. 
• Interface with a small, cross-functional project team to research, develop, and validate new concepts for low-temperature plasma-based metrology. 
• Perform fundamental studies to characterize and understand the sensitivity of the sensor and platform performance. 
• Closely interact with clients to iterate on the design based on their feedback, paying close attention to integration speed. 
• Create and maintain technical design documentation (e.g. requirements, 3D and 2D data, assembly documentation, test processes and test reports).

What We're Looking For

• B.S./M.S. in Mechanical Engineering with minimum of 4 years of relevant industry experience. 
• Experience autonomously leading independent mechanical design projects, in particular those that involve designing a product that can be integrated into a larger system. 
• Experience with design of motion control mechanisms. Ability to properly constrain parts, define datums run through tolerance analysis. Use of GD&T to control those tolerances in drawings.  Setting requirements and selection of motors, couplers, stages, gearboxes.  
• Programing of motion controllers is a plus. 
• Static and dynamic stress and strain analysis including vibration testing and analysis. 
• Some familiarity with part quality and measurement setup for CMM or OMM inspection. 
• Experience with hands-on development of prototypes. 
• Experience with initiating and maintaining supplier support. 
• Experience with maintaining awareness of customer needs and iterating on designs accordingly. 
• Experience with mechanical design for manufacturing lines. 
• Familiarity with standards requirements for high-voltage/low-voltage or gas distribution devices is a plus. 
• Experience with performing sensitivity and risk analysis and using the results of those analyses to inform future mechanical designs e.g., quantifying a prototype’s sensitivity to certain environmental disturbances and creating a mechanical design that mitigates the effects of those disturbances. 
• Prior exposure to high-precision, high-throughput industrial designs for material handling, metrology, and/or process automation applications are a plus. 
• Experience taking designs from initial concept development to product launch. Design for reliability, manufacturing, and service (DfX) are a plus. 
• Proficiency with use of CAD and PDM tools (e.g., SolidWorks or OnShape) to design parts and assemblies and prepare technical documentation. 
• Ability to independently identify and procure parts, manage supplier relationships, and rapidly fabricate medium-fidelity prototypes using 3D printers, metal stock, optical breadboards, etc. is preferred. 
• Demonstrated the ability to adapt to new technical challenges and excited to work in a dynamic multi-disciplinary environment. 
• Excellent written, verbal and visual communication skills. 
• Ability to rapidly create and iterate upon prototypes based on client and team feedback. 

Nice to have:

• Experience with metrology equipment and sensors, particularly those used for metrology of advanced materials.
• Some familiarity with thin films, in particular any those related to Lithium- and Zinc-based battery electrodes, Thermal Barrier Coatings for turbine blades, photovoltaics, optical coatings, displays, packaging materials, semiconducting wafers, and/or adhesives.

Benefits

• Equity and Salary compensation depends on experience 
• Health, Dental, Vision plans provided
• 401k matching provided
• Time off: 20 days of PTO per year, plus approximately 15 paid US holidays per year