Director, Mechanical Engineering

Role overview

Mechanical design ownership

• Own design and delivery of cryogenic sample spaces in existing cryostats, including chip mounts, thermal links and thermalization, optical and electrical interfaces, magnetic-field subassemblies, and gas-tuning hardware.
• Own mechanical assemblies packaging quantum integrated circuits into quantum modules.
• Own interfaces between sample spaces and cryostats, optical excitation and RF delivery segments, and upstream chip pre-qualification systems.

Technical leadership

• Build and lead the mechanical engineering organization, setting technical direction, hiring standards, team levels, and delivery objectives.
• Lead complex assembly engineering with external development and manufacturing partners.
• Grow team competence across structures, dynamics, thermal, fluids, materials, cryogenics, automation and robotics, CAD, and Product Lifecycle Management.
• Set sample-space requirements for thermal resistance, cooling budgets, alignment and positioning tolerances, stage heat loads, and operation in high magnetic fields.
• Define requirements, interfaces, and integration strategies connecting mechanical subsystems with optical, electrical, and cryogenic elements.
• Set and enforce standards for analysis, simulation, and design methodology.

Development process and optimization

• Improve design, build, and test processes through requirements definition and management, documentation, design reviews, trade studies, and FMEA.
• Enforce DFX for scalable volume manufacturing, field maintenance, and robust testability.
• Strengthen resource estimation, scheduling, risk management, and make-versus-buy assessment; identify and remove project blockers.
• Improve design automation and establish KPIs for productivity, schedule adherence, and quality.
• Collaborate with test and assembly teams on workflows, equipment, capacity, quality, yield learning, and cycle times.
• Refine departmental workflows, support intellectual property development and protection, and identify digital transformation opportunities, including data-driven decision-making and AI.

People development

• Lead, mentor, and develop technical teams; foster curiosity, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Identify training opportunities and conduct technical reviews and feedback sessions.

Role capabilities

• Experienced, results-driven leader for mechanical engineering of cryogenic sample spaces and precision assemblies.
• Ability to set requirements for thermal performance, cooling and heat loads, alignment tolerances, and high-field operation.
• Expertise across relevant mechanical engineering disciplines, cryogenics, automation and robotics, CAD, and Product Lifecycle Management.
• Ability to lead an engineering organization, establish technical methods, and manage design, build, test, and project processes.

Application

• The posting requests a resume and short cover letter in one file, addressing interest in the role, experience helping emerging technology find a market, and the candidate's contribution.