Senior Soft X-ray Beamline Mechanical Engineer

Stanford University; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanford University’s SSRL invites an outstanding engineer to join the Soft X-ray Group in the Materials Sciences Division. The role focuses on upgrading soft x-ray beamlines and endstations, with hands‑on assembly, testing, and commissioning in laboratory and beamline environments.

You will translate scientific requirements into robust instrumentation, manage projects through full lifecycle, collaborate with scientists and technicians, and ensure safety and quality in all engineering activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related field with 2+ years of CAD design experience.
• Ability to conceptualize, develop, and evaluate mechanical designs.
• Hands-on experience assembling, testing, and troubleshooting mechanical equipment.
• Experience with machining, fabrication, assembly, tolerancing, and materials selection.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage engineering projects through the full lifecycle, including concept development, requirements definition, design, analysis, prototyping, procurement, fabrication, assembly, testing, installation, commissioning, and documentation.
• Work closely with scientists to translate experimental and operational needs into practical engineering requirements and technical designs.
• Coordinate with technicians, vendors, designers, and other engineers to ensure components and systems are fabricated, assembled, installed, and tested correctly.
• Develop, construct, integrate, and commission complex scientific instruments and experimental endstations.
• Perform hands-on assembly, alignment, integration, testing, and troubleshooting of mechanical, vacuum, motion-control, and experimental systems.
• Design, prototype, procure, assemble, and validate scientific equipment and components.
• Develop and integrate automated or semi-automated systems for beamline operation, sample handling, instrument control, or experimental workflows.
• Support the integration of robotics, motion systems, sensors, cameras, actuators, and other mechatronic components into scientific instruments.
• Maintain, modify, repair, and troubleshoot beamline equipment, experimental endstations, and support systems.
• Prepare engineering drawings, assembly procedures, test plans, documentation, and safety-related documents.
• Participate in field installation activities and provide engineering support during equipment commissioning and user operations.
• Help ensure that all equipment and activities comply with engineering, QA, and safety requirements.

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD tools

Analytical skills

Teamwork

Hands-on assembly

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Autodesk CAD

SolidWorks

UHV systems

Fabrication tools

Job description

Stanford University’s SSRL invites an outstanding engineer to join the Soft X-ray Group in the Materials Sciences Division. The role focuses on upgrading soft x-ray beamlines and endstations, with hands‑on assembly, testing, and commissioning in laboratory and beamline environments.

You will translate scientific requirements into robust instrumentation, manage projects through full lifecycle, collaborate with scientists and technicians, and ensure safety and quality in all engineering activities.