Staff Engineer 2 - SXR

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

Position Overview:

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), a SLAC Directorate at Stanford University, is a national scientific user facility that provides synchrotron radiation capabilities for research in biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, materials science, medicine, and physics. SSRL operates and maintains the 3 GeV SPEAR3 electron storage ring, its associated injector facility, and the synchrotron radiation beamlines on SPEAR3.

SSRL is seeking an outstanding engineer to join the Soft X-ray Group within the Materials Sciences Division. The successful candidate will work in a dynamic scientific research environment and provide engineering support for the operation, maintenance, development, and upgrade of soft x-ray beamlines and experimental endstations.

This position requires not only strong mechanical design and CAD capabilities, but also a hands‑on ability to assemble, integrate, test, troubleshoot, and commission complex scientific equipment in the laboratory and at the beamline. The engineer will work closely with scientists, technicians, designers, and other engineers to translate scientific requirements into reliable and practical instrumentation.

The primary responsibilities include optimizing and upgrading existing soft x-ray beamlines, supporting the development of new experimental instruments and endstations, and helping ensure the safe and reliable operation of beamline and endstation systems.

The specific responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

• 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, machinists, vendors, designers, and other engineers to ensure that 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 in laboratory and beamline environments.

• 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 associated support systems.

• Prepare engineering drawings, assembly procedures, test plans, technical documentation, and safety‑related documentation.

• Participate in field installation activities and provide engineering support during equipment commissioning and user operations.

• Help ensure that all equipment and activities comply with applicable engineering, quality assurance, and safety requirements.

• Other duties may also be assigned.

To be successful in this position, you will bring:

• A bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics engineering, industrial design, or a related engineering discipline, and at least two years of relevant experience in mechanical design using CAD systems, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Demonstrated ability to conceptualize, develop, and evaluate mechanical designs.

• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, combined with creative and innovative thinking.

• Experience applying scientific and engineering principles to the design, construction, testing, operation, or support of technical systems.

• Experience with mechanical systems, including a practical understanding of machining, fabrication, assembly, tolerancing, fastening methods, and materials selection.

• Hands‑on experience assembling, testing, modifying, or troubleshooting mechanical equipment or scientific instrumentation.

• Experience using software applications, engineering tools, systems, or programs relevant to the position.

• Ability to review technical data, assess the validity of results, identify potential problems, and independently verify the quality of one’s own work.

• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment and to perform assigned work independently within established procedures and safety guidelines.

• Ability and willingness to work directly with equipment in laboratories, experimental areas, and beamline environments.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

In addition, preferred requirements include experience in the following areas:

• Scientific instrumentation, synchrotron beamlines, research equipment, or other complex mechanical systems.

• Ultrahigh‑vacuum and high‑vacuum systems, including component selection, assembly, leak checking, bakeout, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

• Parametric 3D CAD software and the preparation of detailed engineering drawings and assembly documentation.

• Mechanical design for precision positioning, optical alignment, motion systems, sample environments, or detector systems.

• Mechatronic systems involving motors, encoders, actuators, sensors, cameras, and motion‑control hardware.

• Automation, robotics, automated sample handling, or machine‑assisted experimental workflows.

• Integration of mechanical hardware with control systems, data‑acquisition systems, or laboratory software.

• Machine vision, camera‑based sensing, or automated inspection and alignment.

• Prototype development and iterative design based on laboratory or field‑testing results.

• Vendor coordination, procurement, fabrication oversight, and acceptance testing.

• Strong hands‑on fabrication, assembly, installation, and troubleshooting skills.

• Experience commissioning equipment in a research facility, laboratory, accelerator, or other technically complex operating environment.