Mechatronics Engineer – Technical Lead Underwater Thruster

Hydromea; Lausanne; On-site; CHF 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Hydromea, a Swiss deep-tech company, seeks a technical lead to own the mechanical and electromechanical design of the DISKDRIVE underwater thruster from concept through volume manufacturing. You will coordinate external engineers and drive a coherent, manufacturable design for harsh subsea environments.

You will work hands-on in a fast-paced scale-up, managing test campaigns (thermal, hydrostatic, saltwater) and design-for-manufacturing transfer for a contract manufacturer.

Qualifications

• MSc in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• 5+ years in product development with full concept-to-production experience.
• Mechanical design, prototyping, manufacturing and testing experience.
• Experience in electric motor design: EM analysis, winding, thermal management.
• Experience with injection moulding/overmoulding or polymer processing.
• 3D design proficiency (Fusion360 or equivalent).
• Basic programming (Python, embedded).
• Basic electronics design, assembly and soldering.
• Fluent English.
• Entrepreneurial, can-do attitude; multitask in a dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical development through formal stage gates.
• Own mechanical and electromechanical design: BLDC motor architecture, sealing, housing.
• Develop and qualify vacuum overmoulding/encapsulation for copper coil assembly.
• Oversee coil winding equipment development with external manufacturers.
• Design and build prototype thrusters, test fixtures and production test equipment.
• Plan and execute performance, environmental and endurance tests.
• Coordinate external consultancies and integrate their work.
• Produce design documentation: drawings, specs, test reports, BOM.

Skills

Mechanical design

Electrical design

3D CAD (Fusion 360)

Prototype development

Testing & validation

Python (embedded)

Electronics assembly & soldering

English fluency

Education

MSc in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Fusion 360

OpenFOAM

Job description

About Hydromea

Hydromea is a Swiss deep-tech company enabling subsea data harvesting at scale through patented underwater robotics, communication, and thruster technologies. We serve the energy, defence, marine science, and industrial sectors. We're passionate about pushing the boundaries of underwater exploration, ocean discovery and providing our partners with tools for efficient, sustainable operations and critical submerged asset security.

The role

One of our core leading and patented technologies is DISKDRIVE™, a rim-driven hubless thruster. The thruster is increasingly used in various industrial and mobility applications, for example for autonomous underwater vehicle propulsion. This position is opened for a technical lead to own the mechanical and electromechanical design from concept through formal stage gates and into volume manufacturing.

You will be the design authority for this product — owning the motor architecture, sealing, pressure-rated housing, overmoulding process, propeller integration, and test campaigns. You will work closely with and coordinate external engineering consultancies (motor design, materials, hydrodynamics, overmoulding process specialists) and integrate their work into a coherent, manufacturable design.

This is an exciting hands-on engineering role in a fast-paced scaleup environment with full technical responsibility for a unique underwater motor.

What you will do

• Lead the technical development through formal stage gates


• Own the mechanical and electromechanical design: BLDC motor architecture, winding specification, magnetic circuit, sealing strategy, pressure-rated housing


• Help improve and qualify the 2-step vacuum overmoulding / encapsulation process for the copper coil assembly, working with external process specialists (injection moulding specialists, materials suppliers)


• Specify and oversee the development of custom coil winding equipment in collaboration with equipment manufacturers


• Design and build prototype thrusters, test fixtures, QC jigs, and production test equipment


• Plan and execute test campaigns: performance (thrust, RPM, efficiency, thermal), environmental (hyperbaric pressure to 6,000m, saltwater, temperature cycling), endurance / life cycling


• Coordinate and review work from external engineering consultancies — motor electromagnetic design, subsea material qualification, propeller hydrodynamics, overmoulding process development


• Produce formal design documentation packages at each stage gate: drawings, specifications, test reports, BOM, process documentation


• Support the industrialisation lead with design-for-manufacturing input and process documentation transfer to the contract manufacturer


• Engage with customers on technical integration support

What we are looking for

Required:

• MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, or similar


• 5+ years of industry experience in product development, including at least one full cycle from concept through to production-ready design


• Mechanical design, prototyping, manufacturing, and testing experience


• Experience in electric motor design — electromagnetic analysis, winding specification, thermal management


• Experience with injection moulding, overmoulding, resin encapsulation, or polymer processing


• 3D design proficiency (Fusion360 or equivalent)


• Basic programming skills (Python, embedded)


• Basic electronics design, assembly, and soldering skills


• Fluent English


• Demonstrated \"can do\" entrepreneurial attitude — perseverance in achieving goals


• Ability to multitask and prioritise in a dynamic environment


• Willingness to travel for tests and deployments

Significant advantage:

• Experience with subsea testing — hyperbaric chambers, sealing design, material behaviour in saltwater at depth


• Experience with a full cycle of stage-gate product development


• Experience managing external engineering consultancies or research partners


• Experience with vacuum potting or 2-component moulding processes


• CFD experience (OpenFOAM or equivalent)


• CNC / CAM experience


• Experience with rapid prototyping and hand tools

Location

On-site in Renens, Switzerland. A highly collaborative, build-fast environment focused on real-world deployment.