Staff Mechanical Engineer

Luna Health; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Excellent health benefits

On-site role – San Diego

Job summary

Luna Health is seeking a Staff/Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead the integration of hardware systems for an insulin-automation device. The role involves combining mechanics, electronics, and design into a single, reliable product, from concept through verification and into volume manufacturing.

Reporting to the VP of R&D, you will own risk analysis, design controls, manufacturability, and collaboration with regulatory, quality, and manufacturing teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years of mechanical product design experience, including medical devices or other safety-critical systems.
• Track record of taking a product from design through verification into volume manufacturing, with manufacturability as an early design instinct.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the central integrator of the hardware system, ensuring mechanisms, electronics, motion, fluidics, packaging, and the user experience come together as one cohesive product.
• Translate user needs into design requirements and decisions, partnering with industrial design to make the product both functional and beautiful.
• Lead and contribute to risk analysis, using it to drive design decisions and mitigations from the earliest stages.
• Own how electronics subassemblies fit, integrate, and interact within the mechanical system, in close collaboration with electrical engineering.
• Design molded and machined assemblies with sound engineering judgment, using tolerance analysis as a core design tool.
• Apply strong theoretical fundamentals alongside hands‑on, creative problem-solving to analyze, test, and resolve complex system‑level issues.

Skills

System integration

Mechanical design

Risk analysis

Tolerance analysis

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master’s degree a plus

Tools

SolidWorks

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Job description

Who We Are

At Luna Health, we are driven by a singular mission: to bring the transformative power of insulin automation to the masses. We are a venture-backed medical device startup that aims to make life with insulin-requiring diabetes simpler and safer with innovative hardware and software. Our founders are industry veterans with firsthand experience managing diabetes, for themselves or for their child, and a track record of helping people with intelligent, simple-to-use medical products.

We offer a revolutionary approach to nighttime glucose control for people unwilling or unable to use a traditional insulin pump. Part world’s smallest patch pump, part first-of-its-kind closed loop insulin dosing algorithm, our sleep-only automation automatically adjusts insulin doses overnight allowing users to get a good night’s sleep and their days start feeling refreshed and worry-free.

The Role

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Staff/Principal Mechanical Engineer to join our team, reporting to the VP of R&D as a hands‑on technical partner. This person will be the hub of our hardware design: the system integrator who brings together user needs, risk analysis, mechanics, electronics, and industrial design into one cohesive, beautiful product.

Luna has developed a product that has reached clinical studies. Now, at a growth inflection point, your charter is to own how the full hardware system comes together and carry it through verification and into volume manufacturing, with manufacturability and reliability built in from the start.

This isn’t just designing parts that fit. You’ll think holistically about how the user interacts with the device, how risks are identified and mitigated, how electronics are packaged and integrated, and how the product looks and feels, while staying hands‑on in detailed design, analysis, and debugging.

Please note that this is an on‑site role and you must live within a reasonable commuting distance of the Luna Health site in San Diego, CA.

Responsibilities

System Integration and Design

• Serve as the central integrator of the hardware system, ensuring mechanisms, electronics, motion, fluidics, packaging, and the user experience come together as one cohesive product.
• Translate user needs into design requirements and decisions, partnering with industrial design to make the product both functional and beautiful.
• Lead and contribute to risk analysis, using it to drive design decisions and mitigations from the earliest stages.
• Own how electronics subassemblies fit, integrate, and interact within the mechanical system, in close collaboration with electrical engineering.
• Design molded and machined assemblies with sound engineering judgment, using tolerance analysis as a core design tool.
• Apply strong theoretical fundamentals alongside hands‑on, creative problem-solving to analyze, test, and resolve complex system‑level issues.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with industrial design as a creative collaborator to deliver an elegant, user-centered product.
• Work with regulatory and quality teams on design controls, V&V, risk analysis, biocompatibility, sterilization, and human factors.
• Partner with manufacturing engineering to transfer designs into production and continuously improve them.

Leadership and Execution

• Work independently to gather latent requirements and build well-reasoned plans.
• Coordinate projects, timelines, and budgets. Communicate clearly across functions, and escalate when needed.
• Share your experience generously, elevating the people around you and mentoring more junior engineers as the team grows.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field. Master’s degree a plus.
• 8+ years of mechanical product design experience, including medical devices or other safety-critical systems.
• Track record of taking a product from design through verification into volume manufacturing, with manufacturability as an early design instinct.

Technical Competencies

• Proven experience acting as the technical integrator across mechanical, electrical, industrial design, and user requirements on a complex hardware product.
• Experience designing mechanisms and moving assemblies, ideally with compact motorized electro‑mechanical devices.
• Deep hands‑on expertise designing molded and machined parts and assemblies.
• Advanced use of tolerance analysis as a design tool.
• Working knowledge of design controls, V&V, risk analysis, biocompatibility, sterilization, and human factors.

Soft Skills

• Proven ability to work across disciplines, including electrical, industrial design, regulatory, quality, and manufacturing.
• Strong organization and communication skills to coordinate projects and budgets and align stakeholders.
• Experience mentoring engineers or leading small projects.

What We Offer

• A no-jerk policy - we seek the best and brightest talent who are fun to work with
• Equity - we are early in this journey and you’ll be instrumental in Luna’s growth
• Excellent health benefits - we depend on it ourselves as a team that has or cares for people with diabetes

What to Expect

The first step is to apply for this job on our website. Next, we will schedule a virtual interview with the hiring manager to introduce you to the company and the role. Finally, we will invite you on‑site to discuss your experience and meet the team.

We are in a hurry to find the right person – not in a hurry to hire – so we will take time getting to know you and making sure that you will be an excellent fit for the work that we are doing.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Manual dexterity and near‑vision acuity sufficient to handle small components, use hand tools, and work under magnification
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, and reach for extended periods while working in laboratory, production, and controlled environment spaces, including donning cleanroom garments
• Sit for extended periods of time at a keyboard and mouse
• Lift and move up to 25 lbs
• Work in a second‑story office up a flight of stairs
• Hearing and speaking will be required regularly
• Specific vision abilities include close and distance vision, depth perception, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus

To All Staffing and Recruiting Agencies

This posting is only for individuals seeking a job at Luna Health. Only authorized staffing and recruiting agencies may use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes on specific job openings. Luna Health does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to Luna Health. Luna Health is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.