Staff Mechanical Engineer, Instrument Operations | Element Biosciences

Element Biosciences; United States; Remote; USD 125,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer to enhance the manufacturing of innovative DNA sequencing instruments. This role offers the chance to lead mechanical engineering efforts, optimize product performance, and ensure quality standards in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in CNC, sheet metal, and injection molding, along with expertise in electromechanical systems. Join a dynamic team dedicated to scientific advancement and make a meaningful impact in the field of biotechnology. If you are passionate about engineering and eager to contribute to groundbreaking technology, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Stock Options

Discretionary Annual Bonus

No-Cost Health Insurance

401k with Company Match

Flexible Paid Time Off

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in mechanical engineering with a focus on electromechanical systems.
• Strong problem-solving skills and experience in root cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical engineering efforts for instrument operations and provide guidance to the team.
• Conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective actions for manufacturing issues.

Skills

CNC

Sheet Metal Design

Injection Molding

Electromechanical System Troubleshooting

Root Cause Analysis

Mechanical Design Fundamentals

SolidWorks

Quality Management Systems

GD&T

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

At Element Biosciences, we are passionate about our mission to empower the scientific community with more freedom and flexibility to accelerate our collective impact on humanity. We have built a highly efficient product-driven organization where employees can learn, grow, and thrive in a challenging but encouraging environment. We are committed to scientific integrity, collegiality, honesty, objectivity, and openness.

We are seeking an experienced Staff Mechanical Engineer, Instrument, Operations who will play a pivotal role supporting the ongoing manufacturing of our cutting-edge DNA sequencing instruments. This is an incredible opportunity for someone who is passionate about operations and high performance electronics for scientific instruments. We are looking for candidates with a solid background in CNC, sheet metal, and injection molding design and manufacturing, electromechanical system troubleshooting, and capital equipment manufacturing. This role will report to the Engineering Manager, Instrument Operations and will be a San Diego-based role.

If you possess the following and want to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to explore this role.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Team Leadership: Subject Matter Expert on Mechanical Engineering for Instrument Operations Team. Provide training and guidance to staff on mechanical engineering and robust design control.
• Sustaining Engineering: Update mechanical design for various components. Manage and perform change control from concept to cut-over for on-market products. Drive improvement efforts to optimize instrument performance, lifetime, reliability, and robustness against external forces.
• Root Cause Analysis: Investigate and address manufacturing issues through root cause analysis, implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Comfortable debugging system-level issues on electro-mechanical systems.
• Sourcing: Support qualification of new suppliers for components made via machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding.
• Quality Assurance: Work closely with Quality Control and Assurance teams to establish and maintain rigorous quality standards throughout the manufacturing process.
• Documentation: Create and maintain comprehensive manufacturing documentation, including SOPs, work instructions, and process flowcharts.

Education and Qualification:

• Minimum BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and eight (8) or more years relevant work experience (or equivalent combination of education and industry experience).
• Demonstrated problem-solving experience with a focus on root cause analysis and debugging electromechanical systems required.
• Strong theoretical and applied understanding of mechanical design fundamentals including material selection, free-body diagrams, thermal gradients, and tolerance stack-ups.
• 3+ years experience working on capital equipment preferred.
• Expertise modeling in SolidWorks required. Experience designing components and assembly fixtures.
• Familiarity with quality management systems and regulatory requirements (ISO 13485, FDA regulations) preferred.
• Ability to apply GD&T to drawings and communicate expectations with team members.
• Forward-thinking and tactical. Able to influence via planning and collaboration skills.
• Proactive self-starter who drives action, investigations, and delivers results without task-level structured guidance.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary environment and quickly adjust to rapidly evolving technology and priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, capable of clearly explaining technical issues, ideas, and project status to peers and management.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to lift 15 pounds.

Location:

• San Diego, CA – on-site.

Travel:

• Up to 10% domestically.

Base Compensation Pay Range:

• $125,000 - $165,000.

In addition to base compensation, you will be eligible for stock options, discretionary annual bonus, no-cost health insurance plans, 401k with company match, and flexible paid time off.

Please Note: Base compensation will depend on multiple factors, including geographic location, qualifications, and experience.

We foster an environment such that all people are afforded the freedom to pursue their passions without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law.