Senior Mechanical Technician — Hardware Engineering

About QuEra

QuEra Computing builds neutral-atom quantum computers that change the world. They are composed of precision optics, custom electronics, liquid-cooled electronics racks, and ultra-high-vacuum systems. The Hardware Engineering group designs, builds, and delivers that platform. We are moving towards repeatable, production-quality machine builds, and we need who know how to build.

The role

We're hiring a Senior Mechanical Technician to be the hands-on backbone of our Hardware Engineering team. You'll fabricate, assemble, test, and troubleshoot the mechanical and fluid systems inside our quantum computers — and you'll help us turn tribal knowledge into procedures and fixtures that contract manufacturers can execute.

This is a senior, high-autonomy role. You'll work directly with mechanical, electrical, and optical engineers and with physicists on live machines. You'll be a first call when something needs to be built or fixed right now, and be a driver in making our builds measurable, repeatable, and safe.

What you'll do

Machine and module assembly

• Build and integrate mechanical subassemblies for our machines: electronics racks, enclosures and frames, cold plates and liquid-cooling manifolds, cable management, and opto-mechanical module hardware.
• Perform precision assembly to documented procedures — torque specs, cleanliness requirements, fastener control, serialization.
• Support installation and rework on operating machines, coordinating carefully with the scientists and engineers who run them.

Test, inspection, and troubleshooting

• Execute pressure and leak tests, flow checks, and mechanical inspections; record results and flag anything out of spec.
• Diagnose mechanical and fluid-system problems on the floor and drive them to a fix, escalating design issues to engineering with clear evidence.
• Support root-cause investigations with hands-on teardown, measurement, and recreation of failure modes.

Fabrication and prototyping

• Run and own the mechanical development room and machine shop: manual/CNC-assist mill, saws, drill press, hand tools, and layout/inspection equipment.
• Machine fixtures, brackets, adapters, and one-off parts from engineering drawings or sketches; make sound judgment calls on tolerances, materials, and finish.
• Keep the shop organized, tooled, stocked, and safe; train engineers and co-ops on safe tool use.

Manufacturing and contract-manufacturer support

• Turn engineer intent into build-ready work instructions, travelers, and fixture designs; red-line drawings when the part doesn't match the print.
• Perform incoming inspection and first-article inspection on parts and assemblies from suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• Travel occasionally to contract manufacturers to train their technicians, qualify processes, and troubleshoot builds.

Lab infrastructure and safety

• Maintain lab mechanical infrastructure: chillers and cooling loops, racks and tables, compressed gas and utilities.
• Follow and help improve our safety practices — lockout/tagout, liquid-cooling shutoffs and leak detection, laser-lab conduct.
• Mentor junior technicians and engineering co-ops.

What we're looking for

Required

• 7+ years as a mechanical technician or mechanical assembler in a precision hardware environment (data center, telecom, scientific instruments, semiconductor equipment, aerospace, optics, medical devices, or similar).
• Comfortable on mill; able to hold ±0.010" when needed
• Hands-on experience with fluid systems — fittings, tubing, manifolds, pumps or chillers — and with pressure and leak testing.
• Comfortable working around sensitive optics and electronics: cleanliness, ESD, and "measure twice" habits.
• Able to lift 50 lb, work on ladders and under tables, and spend most of the day on your feet in a lab.
• Clear written and verbal communication; you document what you did and tell people what you found.

Nice to have

• Soldering and cable construction
• CNC programming (conversational or CAM) and experience standing up a small shop.
• Basic CAD (SolidWorks or Inventor) to model fixtures or fix a drawing.
• Experience writing work instructions or SOPs, or training others to a procedure.
• Familiarity with vacuum hardware, opto-mechanics, or cleanroom practice.
• Experience supporting a transition to contract manufacturing (FAI, supplier visits, process qualification).
• Welding, brazing, or sheet-metal fabrication.

Why this role

You'll be building machines that very few people in the world know how to build, on a team small enough that your work is visible every day. You'll have real ownership of a shop and a process, a direct line to the engineers designing the hardware, and a chance to shape how QuEra manufactures its next generation of quantum computers.

The salary for this role is $125,000+. We consistently monitor external market data and update base salary ranges accordingly. We determine base compensation decisions on several factors, including as geographic placement, role-specific knowledge, skills, and/or experience. In addition to our base salary offerings, we also provide equity grants for all new hires.

#LI-DA1