Mechanical Engineering Lead

Atomic Machines is building the Matter Compiler™, the first in a new class of AI-native, all-digital manufacturing systems that build working machines directly from code. The Matter Compiler  (MC) is aimed at micro-machines: motors and gears the size of a grain of sand, robots small enough to work inside the body, cooling built directly into the chips that run AI, and the many devices like them that have been waiting on a way to build them. Its first product is PrimeSwitch™, an electromechanical power relay the size of a button battery that carries 150 amps continuous current and opens in 50 microseconds, about a thousand times faster than a conventional contactor. Founded by Jeff Holden — serial entrepreneur, ex-Amazon SVP and Uber’s first Chief Product Officer — the company has raised $250 million to date.

Atomic Machines is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in Emeryville and Santa Clara.

About The Role:

You’ll lead Mechanisms and Fluid Systems and build the teams to expand the Matter Compiler’s capabilities. The machines your team develops will determine which devices we can manufacture, at what throughput and cost. The work spans precision motion, workholding, fluid handling precision beyond demonstrated state-of-art, thermal control, and multi-physics processes. Reporting to our Director of Engineering, you’ll help set technical direction and own delivery for your team’s Nodes.

This is a hands-on technical lead role and your first step into people leadership. You’ll be in design reviews, the lab, and the machine shop, digging into the physics, setting the architecture with principal engineers and your Director, and solving hard problems alongside your team. You’ll also learn to develop the engineers on your team, giving them the autonomy and frameworks to own design and execution independently, while your Director trains and coaches you on how to manage and lead well.

Our engineering leaders are deeply technical, accomplished engineers themselves, and involved in the details. Your team will develop, test, and deploy Nodes in our Hybrid Fab, accelerated by in-house labs and a machine shop. You’ll work with engineers ranging from multi-decade principals to brilliant early to mid-career talent. You’ll build alongside technical partners across device, process, AI, electrical, controls, software, and manufacturing engineering.

Problems You'll Solve:

• Deliver systems with performance capabilities at micron-to-submicron precision, enabling high-volume, high-mix combinatorial manufacturing capability.
• Develop systems capable of executing novel manufacturing processes to meet cutting edge product requirements.
• Chart the roadmap from prototypes through qualification, repeatable machine builds and sustained operation supporting high-volume device production.
• Building cutting-edge machines for world-class fabrication processing.

Build, Own, Drive

• Build. You help set the bar, participate in interviews, and help grow the team to support our corporate needs and vision. You’ll learn to coach engineers, give feedback, and develop them into stronger contributors and future leads.
• Own. You hold responsibility for your team’s outcomes. You oversee Node performance, throughput, reliability, and cost through direct architectural definition and technical leadership. You uphold engineering standards and drive root-cause problem solving using frameworks like DMAIC.
• Drive. You set priorities for your team and own delivery of your programs in partnership with your Director. You empower your engineers, lead by example through tough technical problems, and apply phase-gate processes to ensure production readiness.

How We Work

• Fast learning loops. In-house robotics labs and our shop and build team let you validate machine designs early and iterate within weeks. Our Hybrid Fab supports device and process validation using your equipment.
• First principles over opinions. We decide through analysis, experiments, and open technocratic debate.
• System in the loop. Your machines produce devices for customers, so your work gets tested by physics and by the market.
• Forecasts over predictions. We cannot predict the future with certainty, but we can update our priors with new evidence and revise our forecasts, accelerated by fast learning loops, driving us toward convergence between our forecasts and actuals.

What You’ll Need:

• Designing robotic systems from concept to production release.
• Optical systems design and manufacturing.
• High-vacuum systems, deposition equipment, or vacuum material handling.
• Fluid handling, dispensing, or electrochemical processing systems.

Ideally Your Background

• 8+ years developing complex integrated systems as an individual contributor or technical lead.
• No prior people management experience required. You’ve led informally through your technical work (mentoring engineers, leading projects, running design reviews) and are excited to grow into a people leader with training and coaching from your Director of Engineering.
• A record of mentoring engineers and helping them grow, and a genuine interest in hiring and developing people.
• Deep expertise in precision engineering, machine design, systems development, and the fundamentals to back it up.
• A record of delivering complete systems from concept through qualification, documentation, and sustained volume production.
• Experience turning ambiguous requirements and new process physics into working machines with customer stakeholders and process engineers.
• Technical leadership: guiding technical direction, improving engineering tools and processes, and mentoring other engineers.
• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

The compensation for this position also includes equity and benefits.

Salary Range

$230,000—$280,000 USD

Atomic Machines is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and does not discriminate based on characteristics protected by applicable law. We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including for individuals with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact rc@atomicmachines.com. To help our recruiting team manage application volume and respond to candidates more efficiently, Atomic Machines may use AI-assisted tools.