Senior Electromechanical Engineer, Reel-to-Reel Web Handling

Hitachi, Ltd.; Kearny (NJ); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range

Health benefits

Stock options

PTO 20 days

Job summary

Thea Energy in the United States (New Jersey) seeks a Senior Electromechanical Engineer specializing in Web Handling in Reel-to-Reel processes to lead the design of automated manufacturing for our superconducting magnets. You will serve as SME for roll-to-roll tension control, web handling, and winding dynamics, guiding transitions from R&D to production.

You will collaborate with manufacturing and design teams, manage external vendors, and implement inline inspection systems to capture

Qualifications

• 8+ years of electromechanical design and commissioning of reel-to-reel equipment.
• Experience with delicate material applications (e.g., semiconductor, battery electrode).
• Proficiency with Beckhoff/TwinCAT 3, EtherCAT and structured text programming.
• Experience with taper tension and winding algorithms is highly desired.
• Strong 3D CAD skills (NX preferred) and validation via FEA or multibody dynamics.
• Ability to solve first-of-a-kind engineering challenges with no off-the-shelf solution.

Responsibilities

• Design the hardware and controls for bespoke reel to reel process machines, ensuring seamless integration between high-precision mechanical assemblies and complex control software.
• Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for machine design enabling roll to roll tension control, web handling and steering, winding dynamics, and in-line process modules, providing technical guidance to the manufacturing and design teams.
• Scope and design electromechanical equipment to handle fragile high temperature superconducting tape with zero-defect tolerance.
• Manage external vendors and integrators for the fabrication of large-scale equipment, ensuring adherence to Thea Energy’s rigorous performance and safety standards.
• Design and implement advanced in-line inspection systems (e.g., computer vision, laser interferometry) to capture high-fidelity process data during continuous manufacturing.
• Develop long-term strategies for manufacturing throughput, identifying bottlenecks in the R2R process and implementing automated solutions to increase yield and reliability.

Skills

Beckhoff/TwinCAT 3

EtherCAT

Structured text programming

Taper Tension

Winding algorithms

3D CAD (NX preferred)

FEA / multibody dynamics

First-of-a-kind problem solving

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related fields

Tools

NX CAD

FEA software

Multibody dynamics

Job description

Thea Energy in the United States (New Jersey) seeks a Senior Electromechanical Engineer specializing in Web Handling in Reel-to-Reel processes to lead the design of automated manufacturing for our superconducting magnets. You will serve as SME for roll-to-roll tension control, web handling, and winding dynamics, guiding transitions from R&D to production.

You will collaborate with manufacturing and design teams, manage external vendors, and implement inline inspection systems to capture