Head of Mechanical Eng - Photonics & Lasers Startup

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Manager of Mechanical Engineering. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. You'll have the opportunity to work on cutting edge technologies, work closely with leadership, and develop and implement engineering practices that support our mission and growth. Your key responsibilities are as follows:

• Recruits, develops and manages a team of mechanical engineers.
• Contributes to design, integration, verification and leads transition to production for complex laser and photonic systems.
• Creates and maintains company-wide mechanical engineering processes and tools.
• Responsible for execution of mechanical engineering projects across the company from requirement development and architecting to verification, validation and qualification.
• As a member of cross-functional leadership team they are responsible for planning and execution of company projects on schedule and to budget.

• This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).

Experience:

• Degree in Engineering or a related field.
• 5+ years of relevant experience (including pursuit of relevant higher education), ideally within a startup or technology companies.

Skills and Responsibilities:

• Proven record of building and leading engineering teams successfully executing multiple, parallel, complex mechanical engineering projects through development, qualification, fielding and maintenance cycle.
• Practical experience and industry recognition in the areas of opto-mechanical system software architecting, robotics and automation.
• Proficient with common industry mechanical design (Solidworks) and analysis (ANSYS Workbench) tools.
• Proficient with common industry equipment: Wire-bonding, optical fiber processing equipment, die bonding, vacuum reflow oven soldering, adhesive dispense, pick and place, optics attach, laser welding, parallel seam sealing, etc.
• Oversee the mechanical architecture of rack systems housing sensitive fiber-coupled photonic components.
• Drive the strategy for liquid and air cooling solutions to milli-kelvin stability for laser sources and optical engines.
• Implement rigorous DFM/DFA standards for low-to-mid volume, high-complexity builds and prepare products for future scaling.
• Partner with Optical, Electrical, and Software teams to ensure seamless hardware-software integration.

Startup Mindset:

• You're creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats.
• You're passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.

The expected annual salary range for this position is $125,000-$180,000.

As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
• 20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
• 13 paid company holidays
• 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)

Monarch Quantum is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.