Equipment Engineer

AMPeers LLC; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with employer match

Dental and vision coverage

Medical coverage

Job summary

AMPeers LLC, a Houston-based startup developing REBCO high-temperature superconductor tapes, seeks an Equipment Engineer to design and scale production tooling for superconducting tape and wire manufacturing.

You will design, build, and commission thin film vacuum deposition systems, develop subsystems for MOCVD, sputtering, or e-beam platforms, and create CAD drawings. Collaboration with manufacturing and safety is essential for reliable, high-throughput production.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or hands-on industry experience.
• Curiosity and comfort with ambiguous hardware problems.
• Direct experience building or troubleshooting vacuum thin-film deposition tools.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and commission thin film vacuum deposition tools.
• Develop motion, thermal, vacuum, gas delivery, and power subsystems for MOCVD, sputtering, e-beam evaporation, or ion-beam deposition platforms.
• Generate build-ready CAD models and fabrication drawings (SolidWorks or equivalent).
• Troubleshoot tools to improve throughput, uptime, and process repeatability.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, safety, and operations to define hardware specs, BOMs, and reliability targets.
• Support implementation of automation and software for operator-friendly, repeatable manufacturing.

Tools

SolidWorks

Python

LabVIEW

PLC

Job description

Discovered at the University of Houston in 1987, high temperature superconducting (HTS) tape delivers dramatically higher current densities than copper and aluminum with near-zero resistance

AMPeers is a technology startup out of Houston, TX, developing next-generation REBCO high-temperature superconductor tapes and symmetric tape round STAR superconducting wires. Spun out of the University of Houston, our technology enables the widespread adoption of superconductors in fusion magnets, power transmission, and next-generation energy systems.

To bring this technology from pilot scale to commercial production, AMPeers is building specialized manufacturing equipment and processes in-house. The Equipment Engineer will play a central role in designing, commissioning, and scaling the tools that enable reliable, high-throughput superconducting tape and wire production.

Job Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and commission thin film vacuum deposition tools, with support from senior engineering staff on complex systems.
• Develop motion, thermal, vacuum, gas delivery, and power subsystems for MOCVD, sputtering, e-beam evaporation, or ion-beam deposition platforms.
• Generate build-ready CAD models and fabrication drawings. (Software: SolidWorks or other CAD)
• Troubleshoot tools to improve throughput, uptime, and process repeatability.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, safety, and operations to define hardware specs, BOMs, and reliability targets.
• Support implementation of automation and software that enables operator-friendly, repeatable manufacturing.

Requirements:

• Curiosity and comfort with ambiguous hardware problems.
• Direct experience building or troubleshooting vacuum thin-film deposition tools.
• Control systems experience across at least two of: motion, vacuum, thermal, flow, power.
• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or hands-on industry experience.

Preferred Requirements:

• 2+ years of tool ownership from concept-to-operation OR 3+ years relevant industrial equipment experience.
• Experience with industrial automation stacks (Python, LabVIEW, embedded, PLC, etc.)
• Cryogenic, superconducting, or thin-film materials exposure.

What we offer:

• 401(k) plan with employer match
• 100% dental and vision coverage
• Medical coverage

AMPeers is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds.