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Salary: USD 100,000 - 148,256 / annual
Marvel Fusion, Europe's leading fusion energy company founded in 2019, is seeking a Senior Mechanical/Optomechanical Engineer to join its Fort Collins, Colorado office. The company has raised over €385 million in public and private funding and operates across Munich and Colorado with 120 scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
In this role, you will lead the design and optimization of large, ultra-stable optical mounts for high-energy, ultra-short-pulse laser systems used in fusion energy applications. You will work at the intersection of mechanical engineering, thermal analysis, and precision optics, collaborating closely with optical physicists and systems engineers.
Key responsibilities include:
- Designing and optimizing large optical mounts that maintain micron/sub-micron positioning and high angular stability under thermal loads, mechanical vibrations, and environmental changes
- Performing modal, harmonic, and random-vibration/PSD analyses to identify structural resonances and predict optical displacement and angular stability
- Translating thermal simulation results into optomechanical performance predictions, evaluating how temperature changes influence mirror displacement, tip/tilt, surface deformation, and wavefront quality
- Optimizing structures for high eigenfrequencies and low vibration sensitivity while maintaining manufacturability and adjustment capability
- Selecting materials based on mechanical strength, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), thermal conductivity, stiffness-to-mass ratio, dimensional stability, and vacuum compatibility
- Selecting and integrating precision adjustment components including threads, springs, flexures, bearings, actuators, and precision stages
- Using CAD tools and mechanical modeling software to develop and iterate designs collaboratively
- Supporting prototype testing and correlating FEA predictions with experimental measurements
The role offers flexible working hours and environment, comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision), 401(k) matching, 31 days PTO (21 vacation + up to 10 sick days), 11 company holidays, up to 12 weeks paid parental leave, learning and development budget, and phone bill reimbursement.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Proven experience designing large, stable optical mounts or optomechanical assemblies for high-energy laser systems
- Strong understanding of precision mechanical design and kinematics, including spatial and angular degrees of freedom, stiffness, backlash, repeatability, and alignment
- Experience with thermal and thermo-mechanical simulation, including temperature gradients, thermal expansion, heat transfer, cooling concepts, and structural deformation
- Good understanding of engineering materials and their properties (CTE, stiffness, thermal conductivity, dimensional stability, vacuum compatibility)
- Proficiency in CAD and mechanical modeling software (SolidWorks, Inventor, or similar), including thermal and vibrational analysis techniques
- Ability to translate optical requirements into mechanical, thermal, positioning, and stability requirements and work effectively with optical engineers, physicists, controls engineers, and manufacturing teams
Differentiators (nice-to-have):
- Direct experience with high-energy, high-power, or ultra-short-pulse laser systems (compressors, stretchers, large mirrors, gratings, beam-transport systems)
- Experience designing optomechanical systems requiring micron/sub-micron positional precision and µrad or sub-µrad angular stability
- Understanding of how mechanical and thermal effects translate into optical performance (wavefront distortion, mirror deformation, pointing stability, alignment drift)
- Experience with advanced simulation methods (coupled thermal-structural analysis, harmonic response, PSD/random-vibration analysis) and correlation with experimental measurements
- Hands-on experience with manufacturing, assembly, alignment, testing, and validation of large precision optical systems
