Senior Mechanical Engineer

Job Title: Senior Mechanical Engineer Job Description
We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer with extensive experience in developing and integrating vacuum-based thin-film deposition equipment. This hands-on role focuses on the design, development, installation, and scale-up of complex deposition and material-processing systems. The candidate will collaborate closely with various teams to transition advanced hardware from development systems into production environments.
Responsibilities
- Design and develop mechanical hardware for PVD, sputtering, evaporation, and plasma-based processing systems.
- Develop and improve plasma and deposition sources for processing continuous or web-based materials.
- Design hardware for high-temperature evaporation and material-processing applications.
- Integrate mechanical, electrical, vacuum, thermal, and power-delivery components into complex equipment platforms.
- Support the development and integration of sputtering cathodes, RF/DC power supplies, vacuum components, cooling systems, and related hardware.
- Create and maintain detailed 3D CAD models, drawings, assemblies, and equipment documentation.
- Support new equipment builds, installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and qualification.
- Participate in FAT/SAT activities and equipment acceptance.
- Collaborate with equipment and component suppliers on hardware specifications, design reviews, and custom deposition sources.
- Support the transition of equipment from R&D and pilot systems into higher-volume manufacturing environments.
- Troubleshoot mechanical and system-level issues during equipment integration and production ramp.
- Partner with process engineers to optimize equipment performance and deposition processes.
- Collaborate with controls and software engineers on equipment interfaces, interlocks, and hardware safety requirements.
- Work with manufacturing and operations teams to improve equipment reliability, scalability, and production readiness.
- Provide equipment and hardware expertise during process transfer, continuous improvement, and yield optimization efforts.
Essential Skills
- Bachelors or Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
- Approximately 10+ years of experience designing or developing PVD, sputtering, thermal evaporation, vacuum, or plasma-processing equipment.
- Experience integrating mechanical hardware into complex vacuum equipment.
- Proficiency with 3D CAD tools such as Creo/ProE, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or similar platforms.
- Strong understanding of engineering drawings, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and design for manufacturing.
- Hands-on experience designing or developing thin-film deposition or vacuum-processing equipment.
- Strong knowledge of PVD sources, sputtering hardware, vacuum chambers, RF/DC power delivery, thermal management, and related subsystems.
- Ability to independently own mechanical designs from concept through fabrication, integration, testing, and commissioning.
- Experience working directly with equipment manufacturers and component suppliers.
- Strong troubleshooting skills involving multidisciplinary hardware systems.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Experience with roll-to-roll or web-handling vacuum deposition systems.
- Experience with CAE tools for thermal, structural, or fluid-flow analysis.
- Background supporting equipment in high-uptime manufacturing environments.
- Experience scaling equipment from development into pilot or production use.
- Familiarity with structured or phased product-development processes.
- Knowledge of suppliers and technologies related to vacuum chambers, pumps, deposition sources, power supplies, thermal systems, and vacuum instrumentation.
- Experience in semiconductor, energy storage, solar, advanced materials, display, or other thin-film manufacturing environments.
Work Environment
This position requires on-site work in a dynamic environment focused on innovation and precision engineering. The role involves collaboration with cross-functional teams and direct interaction with equipment manufacturers and component suppliers.
Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of Santa Clara, CA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $160000.00 - $220000.00/yr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this role may include the following:
Medical, dental & vision
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
Short and long-term disability
Health Spending Account (HSA)
Transportation benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of Santa Clara, CA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Nov 10, 2026.
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Santa Clara,CA. About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without
regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,
sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected
by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or
adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,
please email [email protected] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the
city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants
with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a
condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law
shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,
including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications
and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you
acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.