Mechanical Design Engineer – Precision Instruments

Hummingbird Scientific is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to develop advanced precision instrumentation for in-situ electron microscopy. Our products are used by leading universities and national laboratories worldwide to study materials at the atomic scale, and they operate under demanding conditions: high vacuum, nanometer-level stability, heating, electrical biasing, and liquid and gas flow, often within extremely constrained spaces.

We are looking for a strong mechanical designer who can turn challenging technical concepts into manufacturable, working products. This role requires more than CAD proficiency: you will do the math, design at the assembly and system level, and own your designs through prototyping and release, working closely with our engineering team in Lacey, Washington, USA, and with machining and fabrication vendors in India. You do not need to be an expert in every technology we use, but you do need the engineering foundation, initiative, and ability to learn what each new project requires.

Requirements

What You'll Do

Precision Mechanical Design and Product Development

• Design complete precision mechanical assemblies and mechatronic systems from initial concept through manufacturing, testing, and product release, working at the assembly and system level: kinematics, stiffness, tolerances, thermal behavior, interfaces, manufacturability, assembly, and serviceability.
  
• Develop and modify custom TEM holders, precision stages, mechanisms, and scientific instrumentation for specialized research applications, involving high-stability motion, vacuum, heating, gas and liquid flow, sensors, actuators, and instrument controls.
  
• Collaborate with engineers, machinists, and assemblers in Lacey, and with machining and fabrication vendors in India, to turn designs into reliable, manufacturable products.
  

Engineering Analysis and Problem Solving

• Apply engineering fundamentals and first-principles calculations to solve design problems. This includes developing analytical models and performing calculations involving kinematics, force and torque, stiffness, deflection, stress, vibration, thermal expansion, heat transfer, fluid flow, and vacuum conductance. Use simulation tools where appropriate, but understand the underlying physics and be able to independently validate engineering decisions.
  
• Make sound engineering tradeoffs, balancing performance, complexity, manufacturability, cost, and schedule.
  

Prototyping, Testing, and Troubleshooting

•  Build, assemble, test, and troubleshoot prototypes, fixtures, and test setups, working hands-on with mechanical hardware and supporting electrical and control integration.
  
• Design experiments and analyze test data to find the root causes of performance limitations, rather than simply reporting pass/fail results, and use what you learn to validate performance and drive design improvements.
  

Project Ownership and Execution

• Take ownership of assigned projects, including technical quality, schedules, and deliverables. Plan proactively, identify risks and dependencies, and communicate status and decisions clearly across our India and US teams.
  
• Complete all aspects of product release, including drawings, BOMs, purchased components, packaging, testing, and documentation.
  
• Maintain organized engineering records so project information is accessible for future development, manufacturing, and support.
  

Requirements

Key Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience designing complete mechanical assemblies, mechanisms, or products, rather than primarily individual parts or CAD models.
  
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, including kinematics, dynamics, structural behavior, tolerancing, and system design, and the ability to apply them from first principles to produce workable designs.
  
• Strong 2D/3D CAD proficiency, preferably SolidWorks, including engineering drawings and GD&T.
  
• Practical understanding of machining, manufacturing processes, assembly, and design for manufacturability.
  
• Hands-on experience building, testing, troubleshooting, and improving mechanical or mechatronic hardware.
  

Education and Experience

• BE/BTech or ME/MTech in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a closely related field; a Master's or PhD is a plus.
  
• Substantial industry experience in mechanical design and hands-on product development. We are looking for someone who has independently owned significant mechanical assemblies or products through concept development, engineering analysis, detailed design, prototyping, testing, troubleshooting, and manufacturing release. We value demonstrated engineering capability and depth of experience over years of service alone.
  

Optional Qualifications

• Background in precision engineering, scientific instrumentation, or mechatronics.
  
• Experience with vacuum systems, cryogenics, or thermal systems.
  
• Working knowledge of electronics, sensors, actuators, and electrical system integration.
  
• Programming experience in LabVIEW, C#, Python, C/C++, or equivalent environments, preferably involving instrumentation, controls, or data acquisition.
  
• Interest in using AI tools to speed up engineering design, analysis, and documentation.
  

Why Join Hummingbird Scientific

• Full-loop engineering: Design, machining, microfabrication, assembly, calibration, and microscope testing all happen in-house, close together. You take ownership of complete products and follow your design from first concept through release and into the next revision.
  
• Work with a global team: You collaborate closely with engineers, machinists, technicians, and scientists in Lacey, USA, and help build our growing engineering team in Hyderabad.
  
• See your hardware prove itself: We validate instruments in our own TEM and cryo-EM labs, so you see how your work performs under real microscope conditions.
  
• Breadth that keeps you learning: Projects span precision mechanics, vacuum, thermal and cryogenic systems, fluidics, motion control, electronics, and software, and rarely have off-the-shelf solutions. You will help build the next generation of in-situ TEM holders, precision stages, and instruments for automated, AI-driven microscopy.
  
• Small team, visible impact: You join a small, technically driven global engineering team where your individual contribution shows up in the product.
  
• Global reach: Our instruments are used by universities, national laboratories, and research institutions in more than 30 countries and have supported over 500 research publications.
  

Job Location: This position is located on-site in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Apply here with your resume, cover letter, and a design portfolio.

Benefits