Principal Mechanical Engineer

Nabsys; Providence (RI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) plan with 50% match

Unlimited vacation

Life insurance

Job summary

Nabsys is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead mechanical design for the OhmX platform at its Providence, RI headquarters. This key role involves hands-on design and technical leadership, mentoring engineers, and cross-functional collaboration with electrical, software, and applications teams.

The ideal candidate will have over 12 years of experience in mechanical design, particularly in complex scientific instruments, and possess deep expertise in microfluidic systems. We offer a competitive salary, equity stake, and extensive benefits including health and unlimited vacation.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of professional mechanical design and development experience.
• Experience leading mechanical design from concept through volume production.
• Expert-level proficiency with CAD tools and a track record in mentoring.

Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical design architecture for next-generation OhmX instruments.
• Lead design decisions on complex subsystems while mentoring other engineers.
• Contribute to the company's intellectual property portfolio through inventions.

Skills

Mechanical CAD tools (On-Shape preferred)

Microfluidic system design

Analytical and simulation skills (FEA, tolerance analysis)

Mentoring and team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master’s or PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

PLM software

Job description

Nabsys is advancing genomics with a clear focus on accessibility and innovation through its proprietary electronic genome mapping (EGM) technology. Implemented on the OhmX Platform™, EGM integrates precision electronics, nanofluidics, and computational biology to deliver high-resolution insight into genome structure. This approach expands what’s possible in cytogenetics, molecular genetics, and cell and gene therapy research, while providing comprehensive structural variation analysis to laboratories of all sizes. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Providence, Rhode Island. For more information, visit www.nabsys.com.

Title: Principal Mechanical Engineer

Nature of Role:

The Principal Mechanical Engineer is a senior technical leader on the Product Development team at Nabsys’ Providence, RI headquarters, responsible for the mechanical and fluidic architecture of the OhmX instrument platform. This role combines hands‑on design ownership of the most complex subsystems with technical leadership across the broader mechanical engineering team, including mentorship, design review leadership, and cross‑functional collaboration with electrical, software, and applications engineering. The position reports to the Director of Instrument Development.

Responsibilities:

• Own the mechanical and fluidic design architecture for next-generation OhmX instrument platforms, from early concept through transfer to production
• Lead design decisions on complex electro‑mechanical and microfluidic subsystems, balancing performance, manufacturability, cost, and reliability
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to mechanical engineers across the Product Development team, raising the technical bar through design reviews, coaching, and example
• Partner with electrical, software, and applications engineering leads to define and own cross-domain system interfaces
• Establish and maintain mechanical design documentation standards in accordance with ISO requirements and the company quality management system
• Define and own the mechanical design verification strategy, including design verification testing, life testing, and reliability analysis
• Establish vendor selection criteria for critical mechanical components and assemblies, and oversee key vendor relationships through prototype and pilot builds
• Contribute to the company intellectual property portfolio through invention disclosures and patent filings
• Translate ambiguous product requirements into concrete technical roadmaps and execution plans that the team can deliver against

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering required; Master’s or PhD preferred
• 12+ years of professional mechanical design and development experience, with at least 3 years in a principal, staff, or equivalent technical leadership role
• Demonstrated track record of leading mechanical design from concept through volume production for complex scientific instruments or comparable capital equipment
• Deep expertise in microfluidic system design, including fluid dynamics, sealing strategies, and integration with electro‑mechanical hardware
• Expert‑level proficiency with mechanical CAD tools, with preference for On‑Shape, and experience administering a PLM software tool
• Strong analytical and simulation skills, including FEA, tolerance analysis, and GD&T
• Experience designing for additive manufacturing, including design-for-additive-manufacturing principles applied to functional components
• Track record of mentoring and developing junior and mid‑level engineers, and of raising the technical standard of a team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence technical direction across cross‑functional teams
• Experience contributing to patents and intellectual property is a plus

Compensation:

• Competitive salary and bonus structure
• Equity stake
• Benefits include health, dental, vision, 401(k) plan with 50% match up to 6% of base salary, unlimited vacation, life insurance