Senior Motion Control Engineer — Nanometer Precision

Onto Innovation; Upton, Wilmington (MA, MA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 173,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision coverage

401(k) with employer match

Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)

Job summary

Onto Innovation is seeking a Senior Development Engineer for Motion Control & System Dynamics in Massachusetts. You will develop precision motion systems for semiconductor metrology and inspection equipment, aiming for nanometer-level accuracy, high throughput, and stable performance.

Work spans controls engineering, mechatronics, and system integration, with modal testing, dynamic modeling, and calibration. Travel ~20% to support global customer sites and cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a relevant engineering field (MSc/PhD).
• 8+ years developing high-performance motion control systems.
• Strong expertise in motion control, frequency-domain analysis, and system identification.
• Hands-on experience measuring FRFs, Bode plots, Nyquist plots, and time/frequency metrics.
• Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink and cross-disciplinary teamwork.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 20%.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, analysis, and optimization of precision motion systems.
• Characterize machine and stage dynamics via experiments and modeling.
• Measure and analyze FRFs, transfer functions, and control performance.
• Develop and tune motion control strategies (PID, feedforward, disturbance rejection).
• Perform controller tuning and validate performance for accuracy and throughput.
• Conduct modal testing/analysis to identify resonances and dynamics.
• Collaborate with mechanical, optical, electrical, software and systems teams.

Skills

Motion control

System dynamics

Frequency-domain analysis

System identification

Vibration damping

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Travel 20%+

Education

MSc or PhD in Control/Mechanical/Mechatronics/related field

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

FEA/FEM

Measurement & data analysis tools

Job description

Onto Innovation is seeking a Senior Development Engineer for Motion Control & System Dynamics in Massachusetts. You will develop precision motion systems for semiconductor metrology and inspection equipment, aiming for nanometer-level accuracy, high throughput, and stable performance.

Work spans controls engineering, mechatronics, and system integration, with modal testing, dynamic modeling, and calibration. Travel ~20% to support global customer sites and cross-functional teams.