Junior Mechanical CAD Engineer / Designer

Equal1; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Equal1 seeks a Junior Mechanical CAD Engineer / Designer to join its cryogenic cooler and system integration team in San Jose. You will create mechanical components from concept through assembly and system testing, focusing on CNC-machined parts, vacuum-brazed assemblies, cryogenic heat exchangers, and magnetic field control structures.

The role emphasizes design-for-manufacture, hands-on assembly, and collaboration with internal teams, suppliers, and machinists to support fabrication,

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Strong knowledge of 3D CAD; NX or Onshape experience is a plus.
• 3D CAD and CAM knowledge.
• Understanding of metal production, incl. CNC, 5-axis machining and sheet metal.
• Familiarity with copper, stainless steel, aluminium alloys, carbon/glass fibre composites.
• Basic understanding of adhesive bonding and brazing processes.
• Hands-on assembly or project execution experience.

Responsibilities

• Create 3D CAD models, assemblies, and technical drawings for cryogenic components.
• Design CNC-machined parts, vacuum-brazed assemblies, heat exchangers, and magnetic structures.
• Apply design-for-manufacture principles including tolerances and assembly ease.
• Collaborate with internal teams, suppliers, and machinists for fabrication and reviews.
• Support hands-on assembly, integration, and testing of cryostat systems.
• Maintain design docs, drawings, BOMs, and change records.

Skills

3D CAD

CAM knowledge

Hands-on testing

Design-for-manufacture

Education

Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX

Onshape

Job description

We are seeking a Junior Mechanical CAD Engineer / Designer to join Equal1’s cryogenic cooler and system integration team. In this role, you will create mechanical components from concept through assembly and system testing.

Components will include CNC-machined parts, vacuum-brazed assemblies, cryogenic turbo-compressor designs, Joule-Thomson counterflow heat exchangers for He-4 and He-3 cycles, and magnetic field generation and control structures. The role requires strong 3D CAD capability, practical design-for-manufacture knowledge, and a hands-on approach to building and testing cryostat systems.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Create 3D CAD models, assemblies, and technical drawings for cryogenic cooler and system integration components.

• Design CNC-machined parts, vacuum-brazed assemblies, cryogenic compressor components, heat exchangers, and magnetic field control structures.

• Apply design-for-manufacture and assembly principles, including machining processes, sheet metal fabrication, tolerances, and ease of assembly.

• Work with internal teams, suppliers, and machinists to support fabrication, design iteration, and manufacturability reviews.

• Support hands-on assembly, integration, and testing of cryostat systems.

• Maintain design documentation, drawings, BOMs, and engineering change records.

Experience and Qualifications

Required

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.

• Good knowledge of 3D CAD tools; NX or Onshape experience is a plus.

• 3D CAD and CAM knowledge.

• Understanding of metal production processes, including CNC, 5-axis machining, dual-spindle lathe processes, sheet metal fabrication, and/or 3D metal printing.

• Understanding of engineering materials, including copper, stainless steel, aluminium alloys, carbon fibre, and glass fibre composites.

• Basic understanding of adhesive bonding and brazing processes.

• Hands-on assembly or project execution experience.

Preferred

• 2+ years of industry experience, ideally in aerospace, semiconductor equipment, cryogenic systems, scientific instrumentation, or precision mechanical engineering.

• Cryogenic experience is a plus.