Optomec is seeking a hands-on Director of Engineering to advance its Aerosol Jet technology and turn demanding printed electronics applications into reliable, repeatable production processes. This leader will connect process development, mechanical and electrical engineering, motion controls, and software to improve print quality, machine performance, and customer outcomes.

The ideal candidate has led small engineering teams in a startup or similarly resource-constrained environment, remains comfortable working in the lab, and knows how to scale people and engineering practices as the business grows. Strong process engineering skills and technical aptitude in 3D printing and advanced manufacturing are essential.

Key responsibilities - 

• Own the engineering roadmap and execution for Aerosol Jet systems, balancing application performance, reliability, development speed, product cost, and customer requirements.
• Lead process development using designed experiments, statistical analysis, and disciplined root-cause investigation. Establish robust process windows, acceptance criteria, and repeatable qualification methods.
• Connect materials and deposition behavior to machine settings, including atomization, carrier and sheath gas flow, nozzle condition, standoff distance, print speed, substrate preparation, and curing or sintering requirements.
• Improve measurable print outcomes such as line width, thickness, uniformity, adhesion, electrical performance, yield, and throughput; translate laboratory results into documented production recipes.
• Guide mechanical and electrical design reviews covering precision mechanisms, fixtures, thermal management, pneumatics, sensors, wiring, grounding, signal integrity, and equipment interlocks.
• Oversee motion control integration, including servo systems, encoders, coordinated multi-axis motion, trajectory planning, tuning, calibration, and synchronization of motion with material deposition.
• Partner closely with software and firmware engineering teams on machine control, toolpath execution, user workflows, machine vision, diagnostics, data capture, and hardware–software interfaces. Define testable requirements and joint release criteria.
• Recruit, coach, and grow a small multidisciplinary team. Build a practical hiring plan, clarify ownership, develop technical leaders, and scale capability through internal talent and outside specialists.
• Drive design verification, engineering change control, manufacturability, serviceability, and transfer to manufacturing. Work with operations, suppliers, applications, and service to resolve field issues and prevent recurrence.

Success in the first year - 

Establish a clear engineering roadmap and staffing plan; baseline critical process and equipment metrics; deliver measurable improvements in print repeatability, uptime, and throughput; strengthen integrated hardware–software validation; and build a team capable of supporting the next stage of product and customer growth.

Location and compensation - 

This position is based in California and requires regular hands-on work with equipment and engineering teams. The specific California worksite, onsite schedule, and travel expectations will be established during recruitment. Annual base salary starts at $160,000, with the upper end open based on experience. Individual compensation will reflect relevant experience, technical expertise, leadership scope, and work location. Bonus eligibility and benefits will be described separately once confirmed.

Optomec welcomes qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds. Employment decisions are based on job-related qualifications without regard to characteristics protected by applicable law. Reasonable accommodations are available during the hiring process.

Required qualifications - 

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, materials, chemical engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant technical experience.
• Typically 10 or more years of relevant engineering experience, including 3–5 years of engineering management experience leading small technical teams and delivering complex hardware or process technology products.
• Experience in a startup, early-stage business, or entrepreneurial product organization, with evidence of prioritizing effectively under tight resource and schedule constraints.
• Strong hands-on process engineering skills in additive manufacturing, printed electronics, precision deposition, semiconductor equipment, or closely related technologies; demonstrated technical aptitude in 3D printing.
• Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical systems and the ability to troubleshoot interactions among machine design, motion, sensors, materials, and process conditions.
• Practical experience with motion controllers, servo drives, encoders, precision positioning, machine calibration, and automated equipment integration.
• Successful collaboration with software engineering teams, including requirements definition, interface design, integrated testing, release readiness, and diagnosis of hardware–software issues.
• Proven ability to hire, mentor, and scale engineering teams while maintaining accountability, technical depth, and a collaborative working environment.
• Clear communication with executives, engineers, suppliers, and customers; sound judgment on technical tradeoffs, budgets, delivery commitments, and product risk.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred experience - 

• Direct Aerosol Jet experience or expertise in aerosol deposition, inkjet, microdispensing, functional inks, fluid mechanics, rheology, and printed electronic structures.
• Experience with machine vision, fiducial alignment, CAD/CAM, toolpath generation, G-code, industrial motion controllers such as ACS, and Python or similar engineering analysis tools.
• Experience moving equipment from prototype to commercial production, improving installed-base reliability, and supporting customer application qualification.
• Advanced degree, patent contributions, or demonstrated development of differentiated process or equipment technology.