Senior Mechanical Engineer (Contractor) (P-4757)

We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to join our Instrumentation NPI and Sustaining Engineering team, where you will support both the introduction of new products and the continuous improvement of released systems. 

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer, you will play a key role in both New Product Introduction (NPI) and Sustaining Engineering. You will contribute to the mechanical design, validation, and release of new instrumentation platforms, and take ownership of sustaining engineering activities to enhance performance, reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability of existing products. This role requires strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to work effectively across functional teams including manufacturing, service, operations, and quality.

Your work will have a direct impact on the success of 10x products in the field and their scalability in production, ensuring our instruments maintain the high standards our customers expect.

What you will be doing:

• Lead and support mechanical engineering efforts for both NPI and sustaining projects, covering design development, verification, validation, and production transfer.
• Collaborate with R&D, manufacturing, and service teams to bring new instrument platforms from prototype through pilot builds to full-scale production.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives by investigating field performance issues, analyzing return material data, and implementing design and process enhancements.
• Partner with contract manufacturers and internal teams to conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective/preventive actions (CAPAs) for in-production and fielded instruments.
• Conduct failure analysis and reliability testing (e.g., MTBF/MTTR) to validate long-term performance and support design decisions.
• Identify and implement changes to improve product cost, quality, and manufacturability using DFM, DFA, and lean manufacturing principles.
• Perform hands-on work to troubleshoot, evaluate, and iterate on mechanical, optical, and electromechanical subsystems.
• Maintain and manage engineering documentation, including BOMs in ERP/PLM systems, risk assessments, and change orders.
• Interface with quality and compliance teams to ensure adherence to design controls, regulatory standards, and safety requirements.
• Prepare technical documentation, reports, and presentations to communicate findings and recommendations across cross-functional teams.
  
  

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Optical, or related Engineering field with 8+ years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 5+ years of experience in automation or instrumentation development.
• Strong background in mechanical design for complex capital equipment, ideally including optics, motion systems, and fluidics.
• Proficient in SolidWorks for 3D CAD modeling, design analysis, and creating detailed mechanical drawings.
• Experience supporting both new product development and sustaining efforts in a fast-paced engineering or manufacturing environment.
• Proven ability to conduct structured root cause analysis and drive cross-functional resolution of mechanical and system-level issues.
• Familiar with reliability engineering concepts and design verification/validation testing.
• Ability to work collaboratively across functions including R&D, operations, supply chain, and field service.
• Strong organizational and communication skills; capable of balancing multiple priorities and presenting findings clearly.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in NPI processes, pilot builds, and design transfer to contract manufacturers.
• Familiarity with optical subsystems and precision electromechanical assemblies.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting liquid handling or programmed automation systems.
• Experience with DFM/DFT/DFA and process validation in regulated environments (e.g., ISO 13485, FDA).
• Proficient in tools like Python, Jira, Confluence, Oracle ERP, and Arena PLM
• Knowledge of risk management tools (e.g., FMEA) and reliability metrics (e.g., MTBF, MTTR).
• Comfortable managing BOMs, ECOs, and documentation in a structured pr