Senior Mechanical Engineer – Product Sustainment

Socket.dev; Wakefield (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Optikos in Wakefield, MA seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to sustain and improve complex optical/electro‑mechanical systems across the product lifecycle. You will own root‑cause investigations and lead engineering changes, prototype builds, and cross‑functional collaboration with manufacturing, quality, and product teams.

This role emphasizes hands‑on troubleshooting, continuous improvement, and mentoring junior engineers to strengthen design practices and reliability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering; advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years of mechanical engineering experience, preferably with optical or precision systems.
• Mastery of SolidWorks or similar CAD platforms.
• Ability to lead engineering efforts and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with product sustainment, manufacturing support, and lifecycle engineering.
• Excellent communication skills across interdisciplinary teams and customers.
• Strong analytical and hands-on troubleshooting capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead resolution of technical issues during manufacture, assembly, and test of hardware.
• Evaluate faults, determine root cause, and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain drawings, models, and specifications for manufacturing and QA.
• Lead ECO processing and updates to Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Collaborate with electrical, optical, manufacturing, and quality teams for system compatibility.
• Lead prototype builds, test planning, and troubleshooting; mentor junior engineers.
• Evaluate materials, manufacturing methods, and suppliers to optimize performance and cost.
• Ensure sustainment activities meet standards and regulatory requirements.
• Provide expert technical support to production, quality, and customers during launches.
• Champion continuous improvement in design methods and workflows.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

SolidWorks

Analytical thinking

Leadership

Cross‑functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Description

Optikos is seeking a detail-oriented and analytical Senior Mechanical Engineer to join our product sustainment engineering team. In this role, you will support the full lifecycle of Optikos products, from business capture and development through production, testing, and long-term sustainment. You will work collaboratively across engineering, manufacturing, quality, and product teams to ensure our products remain robust, reliable, and continuously improved throughout their life in the field.

This position is ideal for engineers who excel at root-cause analysis, enjoy hands-on troubleshooting, and have a passion for driving continuous improvement in mature and evolving products across semiconductor, life science, aerospace, and defense markets.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Lead resolution of technical issues discovered during manufacture, assembly, and test of deliverable hardware.
• Evaluate and troubleshoot mechanical faults; assess test failures for root cause and identify appropriate dispositions and corrective actions.
• Maintain and update detailed drawings, models, and specifications to support ongoing manufacturing, assembly, and quality processes.
• Lead engineering change activities including processing Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and updating Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Collaborate closely with electrical, optical, manufacturing, and quality teams to ensure system-level compatibility and robust long-term product performance.
• Lead prototype builds, test planning, and troubleshooting activities; guide junior engineers in hands‑on lab work.
• Evaluate materials, manufacturing methods, and suppliers to optimize performance, cost, and reliability.
• Ensure sustainment activities and documentation meet applicable standards and regulatory requirements.
• Provide expert technical support to production, quality, and customer‑facing teams throughout product launch and lifecycle.
• Mentor junior mechanical engineers, fostering skill development and strong engineering practices.
• Champion continuous improvement in design methods, processes, and workflows.

Skills and Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related field. Advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years of mechanical engineering experience, ideally including optical, precision, or complex electro‑mechanical system development.
• Demonstrated mastery of SolidWorks or similar CAD platforms and strong mechanical design fundamentals.
• Proven ability to lead engineering efforts, manage priorities, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with product sustainment, manufacturing support, and lifecycle engineering.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate technical concepts to interdisciplinary teams and customers.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and troubleshooting capabilities with a hands‑on approach.

About Optikos:

For more than 40 years, Optikos® has provided innovative applications of optical technology, both products and services, to commercial, government, and consumer products organizations worldwide. The Optikos engineering team is the largest independent optical engineering group in the world, managing all aspects of instrument design, including optics, mechanics, electronics, and software systems, in addition to our in-house IQ Lab™ Services to benchmark and assess the performance of customer lens or camera systems. We develop innovative products in the life sciences, aerospace and defense, industrial, and consumer markets, and our experience with a wide variety of applications has enabled our staff to generate creative solutions to some of the most challenging optical problems. Our team continues to improve existing metrology product lines and develop new products that Optikos manufactures and installs around the globe.

This is a 100% in‑office position located in our headquarters in Wakefield, Massachusetts. We offer competitive compensation packages along with a challenging and stimulating environment.

Optikos is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status. We do not sponsor employment visas for this position.