SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 106,250 - 182,500 / annual
Xcimer Energy is building inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plants using a groundbreaking laser architecture to accelerate global decarbonization. The company combines decades of fusion research with advanced manufacturing and a world-class team to deploy fusion power at scale.
You will design, build, and test mechanical hardware for Xcimer's deep-UV laser system, where every mirror, window, lens, and diagnostic depends on precision opto-mechanical mounts and structures. This is a hands-on role spanning the full lifecycle: requirements definition, concept design, analysis, detailed drawings, procurement, assembly, alignment, and test. You will spend time in optics labs, cleanrooms, and manufacturing floors working directly with hardware.
Key responsibilities include:
- Design opto-mechanical assemblies: mirror mounts, window and lens mounts, optical benches, and structural supports for deep-UV, high-energy laser beam transport and diagnostics
- Develop requirements with optical, controls, and systems engineers; conduct trade studies and document design decisions
- Perform design analysis using hand calculations and FEA (static, modal, thermal) to understand how mount stress, thermal gradients, gravity, and vibration affect optical surface figure and alignment
- Create detailed 3D models in NX and GD&T drawings per ASME Y14.5; manage drawing packages through engineering change control
- Specify materials, finishes, and purchased components (stages, actuators, flexures, fasteners, vacuum hardware); work with suppliers and inspect received hardware
- Build tolerance stack-ups and connect mechanical tolerances to optical sensitivity budgets
- Create and maintain interface control documents between optical mounts and adjacent structures
- Assemble, align, and test opto-mechanical hardware in lab and cleanroom environments; develop and execute test plans
- Support system integration and troubleshooting on the laser floor; feed lessons learned back into design
- Present work at design reviews and maintain clear technical documentation
The posting indicates hiring at multiple levels. Senior-level candidates would lead subsystem designs end-to-end, own cross-disciplinary interfaces, and mentor junior engineers.
Requirements:
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related field
- 4+ years of professional mechanical design experience with hardware you have designed, built, and put into use
- Sound mechanical design fundamentals: statics, strength of materials, stiffness and deflection, thermal expansion, materials selection
- Proficiency in 3D CAD (NX preferred; SolidWorks or Creo acceptable) and manufacturing drawings using GD&T per ASME Y14.5
- Ability to build tolerance stack-ups and verify designs with hand calculations
- Familiarity with machining, sheet metal, and welding processes; design for manufacturability and assembly
- Hands-on aptitude: comfortable assembling, measuring, and testing hardware; eager to spend time in the lab
- Hands-on experience designing precision opto-mechanical hardware: kinematic or flexure mounts, optical benches, or alignment mechanisms
- Solid FEA skills (static, modal, thermal) and experience using analysis to drive design decisions and validate against test
- Experience creating and maintaining interface control documents
- Experience specifying and managing hardware through suppliers; guiding or mentoring other engineers
- Strong written and verbal communication, attention to detail, ability to work in fast-paced multidisciplinary team
Desired qualifications:
- M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or related field
- Experience with STOP (structural-thermal-optical performance) analysis and modeling tools (Ansys, Abaqus, Nastran)
- Experience with cleanroom procedures, high-vacuum hardware, or high-voltage environments
- Experience with active mount pointing and alignment recovery, including slow and fast steering mirrors
- Experience with high-energy laser systems, particularly deep UV
- Familiarity with thermal management of optical assemblies
- Experience with laser, telescope, lithography, or precision instrument opto-mechanics
