Principal Hardware Engineer, Precision Instrumentation

Astera Institute; California (MO); On-site; USD 200,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Astera Neuro is seeking a hands-on engineer to design, build, and operate precision hardware for neural research. You will work with a multidisciplinary team to move concepts from rough ideas to functioning instruments, aligning with scientists on requirements and timelines.

You will own complex systems end-to-end, maintain and improve fabrication facilities, and mentor other engineers to uphold high engineering standards in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Built precision hardware used by teams for real work.
• Experience in high-precision environments is essential.
• Ability to take rough ideas to working instruments with others.

Responsibilities

• Own complex instruments end-to-end: concept, fabrication, integration and operation.
• Equip and run a workshop or prototyping facility.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to engineering culture.

Skills

Precision hardware

Mechanical design

Electronics and optics

Hands-on problem solving

Workshop mentoring

Education

Mechanical/Electrical/Biomedical engineering

Physics

Tools

CAD/CAM

CNC

3D printing

Job description

About The Role

At Astera Neuro, we are deciphering how activity across billions of neurons becomes thought, perception, and the conscious experience of the world and ourselves. Doing that requires building cutting‑edge tools and infrastructure to interface with, record, and control neural activity at an unprecedented scale.

What You Will Build

• Precision mechanical systems for experiments, such as titanium microfixtures, micrometer-precision electrode drives, and custom machined jigs.
• Components for custom microscopes and optical systems, including alignment and mounting hardware.
• Custom laboratory instrumentation and surgical or experimental robotics, designed and iterated alongside the scientists who depend on them.
• Electronics and control hardware that interface mechanical systems with data acquisition and the rest of the research stack.
• The design and prototyping facility itself: tooling, workflows, and fabrication capabilities that determine how fast the team can move.

What We Are Looking For

• A world‑class generalist and hands‑on problem‑solver who has built precision hardware in a high‑precision industry, ideally medical devices, robotics, aerospace, semiconductor capital equipment, or commercial scientific instrumentation. You have designed and built hardware that other people relied on for real work, and you kept it running.
• Resourcefulness about getting things built quickly: you will machine one part, 3D‑print the next, and send a job out for what is better outsourced.
• Comfort working from a rough idea rather than a finished spec, figuring out the path to a working instrument together with the people who need it.
• Deep fundamentals in mechanical design and fabrication, with real working ability in electronics or optics. You do not restrict yourself to what is familiar.
• Intellectually curious, collaborative, and eager to learn the science around you.
• A track record of owning complex instruments end‑to‑end, from concept through fabrication, integration, and reliable operation.
• Experience making and defending design tradeoffs across performance, manufacturability, cost, and timeline.
• Experience equipping and running a workshop, makerspace, or prototyping facility.
• A history of mentoring engineers or setting engineering culture and standards.

Bonus

• Experience with small precise parts, difficult materials, tight tolerances, precision motion, or optical alignment.
• Hands‑on electronics design (PCB layout, embedded systems, sensor/actuator integration).
• Familiarity with electrophysiology or other low‑volume, high‑complexity hardware environments.
• CAD/CAM proficiency with hands‑on machining (CNC, lathe, mill) and 3D printing.
• Experience integrating hardware with data acquisition systems (DAQ, TTL synchronization, serial/SPI protocols).

Education

Backgrounds in mechanical, electrical, or biomedical engineering, physics, or related fields are all welcome. Graduate work or research experience is a plus but not required.

About Astera Neuro

Astera Neuro is a neuroscience research company deciphering how activity across billions of neurons becomes thoughts, perceptions, and the conscious experience of the world and ourselves. We develop cutting‑edge hardware, recording systems, and software, with the goal of enabling the next generation of discoveries about neural circuits, cognition, and behavior.

Compensation

The posted salary range is based on location in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will receive a competitive compensation package, commensurate with their experience and location.

Compensation range: $200K - $350K