Senior Mechanical Engineer II

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

     

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Job Title: Sr. Mechanical Engineer II

Working at Abbott
At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.

• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.

• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution.

• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.

• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.

• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

This position works out of our San Diego, CA location in the Infectious Disease Division of Abbott Rapid Diagnostics. We’re empowering smarter medical and economic decision-making to help transform the way people manage their health at all stages of life. Every day, more than 10 million tests are run on Abbott’s diagnostics instruments, providing lab results for millions of people.

We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer II to join our R&D organization developing next‑generation in vitro diagnostic (IVD) assays, consumables and instruments. This role is ideal for an experienced engineer (~10 years industry experience) who thrives in hands-on design, cross-functional systems development, and design transfer to operations.  You will play a key role in the design and development, and transfer of complex diagnostic systems involving microfluidics, optics, thermal control, microfabrication, and precision mechanisms. The successful candidate will bring strong engineering judgment, a system-level mindset, and the ability to balance innovation with reliability and manufacturability.

What You’ll Work On

R&D & Product Development

• Lead mechanical design and development of IVD instruments, subsystems, and consumables from concept through design transfer.

• Design and optimize systems involving:

  • Microfluidics (low-volume liquid handling, reagent transport, containment)

  • Microfabricated components and precision assemblies

  • Thermal systems (incubation, PCR thermal cycling, temperature uniformity and control)

• Own mechanical architectures at the subsystem or system level, including interfaces with electrical, firmware, assay, and software teams.

• Develop and execute engineering test plans to characterize performance, reliability, and robustness.

Analysis, Modeling & Optimization

• Perform analytical and numerical modeling to inform design decisions, including:

  • Thermal modeling

  • Structural analysis

  • Optical modeling

  • Fluidic or system-level performance modeling

• Conduct tolerance analysis and GD&T to ensure robust designs suitable for volume manufacturing.

• Use data and first principles reasoning to drive design iteration and risk reduction.

Prototyping & Iteration

• Rapidly prototype mechanical designs using a variety of methods (machining, 3D printing, soft tooling).

• Build, test, and debug electro‑mechanical and fluidic prototypes.

• Drive design improvements based on empirical test results and failure analysis.

Design Transfer & Manufacturing Support

• Lead or support design transfer to operations, including:

  • DFM/DFA activities