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Director, Mechanical Engineering

Atomic Machines


Job Location:

Santa Clara County, CA - USA

Yearly Salary: USD 200000 - 260000
Posted: 9 October 2026 (13 days ago)
Application Deadline: 19 January 2027
Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

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 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 Ubers 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

Youll lead Mechanisms and Fluid Systems and build the teams to expand the Matter Compilers capabilities. The machines your teams develop 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. Youll set technical direction and own delivery across multiple Nodes.

This is a hands-on technical management role. Youll be in design reviews the lab and the machine shop digging into the physics setting the architecture with your principal engineers and technical leads and solving hard problems alongside your team. Youll also develop managers and technical leads who can own design and execution independently giving them the autonomy and frameworks to succeed.

Our engineering leaders are deeply technical accomplished engineers themselves and involved in the details. Your teams will develop test and deploy Nodes in our Hybrid Fab accelerated by in-house labs and a machine team ranges from multi-decade principal engineers to brilliant early to mid-career engineers. Youll build alongside technical partners across device process AI electrical controls software and manufacturing engineering.

Problems Youll 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 set the bar run the interviews shape the team structure and grow the team to support our corporate needs and vision. Youll turn senior engineers into tech leads tech leads into managers and mold teams to run without you.
  • Own. You hold responsibility for company outcomes. You oversee Node performance throughput reliability and cost through direct architectural definition technical leadership and organizational scale-out. You establish engineering standards and drive root-cause problem solving using frameworks like DMAIC.
  • Drive. You set priorities allocate resources and own delivery across your programs. You empower managers and technical leads lead by example through tough technical problems and tailor 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 Youll 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
  • 15 years developing complex integrated systems including 7 years managing engineering teams.
  • Currently managing at least five people directly with experience scaling a team toward 25 including managers and senior technical leads.
  • A record of hiring top engineers developing them into leads and managers and growing them.
  • 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.
  • Operational leadership: guiding technical strategy establishing engineering tools and processes and mentoring managers.
  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline or equivalent experience.

The compensation for this position also includes equity and benefits.

Salary Range

$200000 - $260000 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 .To help our recruiting team manage application volume and respond to candidates more efficiently Atomic Machines may use AI-assisted tools.


Required Experience:

Director