Mechanical/Product/Manufacturing/Materials Engineer

Elve, Inc.; Davis (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits (medical, dental, vision)

Vacation

Exposure to cutting-edge technology in vacuum electronics

Job summary

A deep-tech startup in California is seeking mechanical engineers to design and implement hardware systems for next-generation RF technology. The ideal candidate will have experience in mechanical design, hands-on engineering, and a solid background in using CAD tools. This full-time role also emphasizes collaboration across teams to drive project success, contributing to a mission of enhancing wireless connectivity. Competitive health benefits and a dynamic work environment are included.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in relevant roles.
• Experience in 3D CAD and PDM tools.
• Strong mechanical and material fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement hardware systems.
• Apply DFMA principles in designs.
• Own product development from concept to production.

Skills

3D CAD software

Problem-solving skills

Collaboration skills

Hands-on experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

PDM tools

Job description

Who is Elve?

Elve, Inc is a deep-tech startup in Davis, CA, specializing in the design and manufacturing of high-efficiency lightweight millimeter-wave and near‑THz RF power amplifiers. Our groundbreaking technology enables 100× faster wireless internet access in urban settings and remote locations, revolutionizing the future of wireless connectivity well beyond 5G. We are looking for mechanical engineers to join our team and contribute to the advancement of our technology, products, and manufacturing. If you are passionate about RF electronics, precision assembly, manufacturing, automation, and working on cutting‑edge technology, then we want to hear from you!

Position Summary

Elve is building next‑generation millimeter‑wave power amplifiers for advanced communications and sensing systems. We are hiring several mechanical engineers across manufacturing, engineering, and product development who enjoy solving hardware problems and improving how products are built.

Mechanical engineers at Elve own projects that improve both product performance and manufacturing capability. You will work closely with production, engineering, and supply chain teams.

This role requires both strong mechanical design capability and hands‑on engineering. Successful candidates are comfortable moving between CAD, prototype hardware, manufacturing equipment, and engineering analysis.

Because Elve is a small and fast‑moving company, engineers have the opportunity to own projects end‑to‑end from concept through production implementation. The goal of this position is to drive measurable improvements in throughput, yield, product performance, and manufacturing scalability.

This is a full‑time salaried position.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, and implement real hardware systems, including:
  • Product designs and assembly processes to improve reliability, performance, and manufacturability
  • Fixtures, tooling, and automation solutions to improve manufacturing throughput, quality, and yield
  • Engineering test stands and production equipment
• Apply DFMA principles to component and assembly designs
• Qualify assemblies for space or other demanding environments
• Own product initiation and improvements from ideation to deployment in production

Work Environment

Work may occur in a combination of the following environments:

• Manufacturing facility
• ISO 5‑ISO 7 cleanroom
• Laboratory
• Machine shop
• Warehouse
• Office

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in relevant roles in a commercial setting
• Experience using 3D CAD software and PDM tools such as SolidWorks
• Experience creating dimensioned drawings and applying GD&T
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals
• Strong materials fundamentals
• Hands‑on experience designing, building, debugging, or modifying mechanical parts, assemblies, and systems
• Strong problem‑solving skills in product development or manufacturing environments
• Ability to drive engineering projects from concept through implementation
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across teams, including manufacturing
• Self‑motivated and detail oriented
• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations (EAR), candidates must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or otherwise eligible to obtain required authorization

Preferred Qualifications

Candidates with experience in several of the following will stand out:

• Designing fixtures, tooling, production equipment, and automated manufacturing
• Implementing manufacturing process improvements
• Applying measurement and metrology tools
• Applying DFMA principles to product design and collaborating with supply chain to improve manufacturability of components
• Precision mechanical systems or tight‑tolerance manufacturing
• Modeling and analyzing vibration, shock, and thermal behavior (including FEA & CFD)
• Ultra High Vacuum systems, welding, brazing, or high temperature joining processes
• Designing and qualifying mechanical assemblies for space and other extreme environments
• Working in a machine shop
• Leading cross‑functional teams
• Interfacing with customers
• In fast‑moving venture‑backed companies

Benefits

• Health benefits (medical, dental, vision)
• Vacation
• A taste of the start‑up life
• Exposure to cutting‑edge technology in vacuum electronics, materials science, and additive manufacturing

What it's like to work at Elve

We are an expanding team, on a mission to bring the next generation of high‑speed wireless connectivity to a billion people worldwide. That kind of impact is not going to be achieved with incremental improvements – we are gunning for orders of magnitude advances in production capability, cost, size, and power in the mm‑wave RF amplifier market. We work really hard, make sure we get good sleep, we handle conflict intentionally, and we expect great things from each other.