Senior Mechanical Engineer
Onto InnovationJob Title
Senior Mechanical Engineer
Role Summary
The Senior Mechanical Engineer will design, analyze, integrate, and support mechanical systems for advanced semiconductor inspection and metrology equipment. This individual contributor focuses on precision motion, optical stability, thermal performance, manufacturability, serviceability, and long-term field reliability.
The role is primarily on-site in Wilmington, MA, and requires cross-functional collaboration with systems, electrical, software, optics, manufacturing, supply chain, and field service teams. Travel up to 25% may be required.
Experience Level
Senior - requires substantial prior experience; the position expects a minimum of 8 years of relevant mechanical engineering experience.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities across the product lifecycle, from concept through production and field support.
- Design and validate mechanical assemblies, precision mechanisms, enclosures, fixtures, and thermal management solutions for semiconductor metrology systems.
- Perform tolerance stack-ups, structural and thermal analyses, prototype testing, and verification activities.
- Produce and release engineering documentation, drawings, specifications, and change orders following company processes.
- Support supplier development, manufacturing release, and production readiness; collaborate with vendors to improve quality and cost.
- Troubleshoot installation and field issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions.
- Drive design improvements for reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, cost optimization, and customer satisfaction.
- Participate in cross-functional design reviews and coordinate with product management and customers on technical requirements.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills and experience; preferred items listed separately.
- Minimum 8 years developing mechanical systems for semiconductor equipment, capital equipment, precision instrumentation, robotics, or other complex electromechanical products.
- Strong mechanical design skills, CAD modeling, PDM/PLM familiarity, and engineering documentation practices.
- Experience with tolerance analysis, structural and thermal design considerations, prototype development, testing, and validation.
- Proven ability to drive technical projects independently and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams and with suppliers.
- Experience with design transfer, manufacturing release processes, configuration control, and change management.
- Strong analytical problem-solving, communication, and technical leadership skills.
- Nice-to-have: experience with optical alignment systems, vibration-sensitive platforms, precision motion stages, cleanroom environments, NPI/sustaining engineering, reliability engineering, Six Sigma/Lean training, or Design for Manufacturability/Assembly practices.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline is required. A Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field is preferred. Professional Engineer (PE) registration, Six Sigma or Lean certifications, and other advanced technical credentials are listed as beneficial. Equivalent combinations of education and relevant industry experience may be considered.
About the Company
Company: Onto Innovation
Headquarters: Wilmington, MA, United States
Onto Innovation develops process-control solutions for the semiconductor industry, offering optical inspection, 3D metrology, defect inspection, composition analysis, factory analytics, and lithography technologies to improve yield, performance, and reliability across the semiconductor value chain.
