Product Development Engineer

KRI is hiring an on-site Product Development Engineer for our Fort Collins team, which means if you've outgrown solving small, mundane problems at a big company, come solve big challenging problems for our growing company. You'll work on complex systems doing technical and hands-on work that draws on far more than your grandfather's engineering discipline, diving deep into physics, math, and electrical theory. So, if you are an engineer who enjoys novelty over routine and are comfortable with a large portfolio of concurrent projects, we might be a good fit for you.

KRI design and manufactures broad-beam products, including commercial ion sources and power supply controllers. This is a full-time on-site position, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00pm. We are also preparing to move into a new facility in Wellington, Colorado.

The salary range for this position is $80k - 120k, our benefits are competitive, and our 401k contribution is unusually generous.

The full job description is below. If the work sounds interesting and your experience aligns with what we need, please apply so we can have a straightforward conversation about the role.

Position Overview

The Product Development Engineer is responsible for developing new ion source & related products to capitalize on new or expanding markets and refining existing products for increased customer satisfaction, manufacturability, and cost savings. As part of the research and development (R&D) team, bridges the product development cycle from research to engineering and production. Requires a bachelor's degree in an engineering field or equivalent experience. Good manual dexterity is required for running experiments. A working knowledge of high vacuum systems, ion beam and plasma processes is highly desirable. Must possess a high level of math skills. Will make reports and present findings to the R&D team. May be required to write scientific papers for publication in scientific journals or for presentation at conferences. Customer interaction required for technical support of products and for help with applications.

Primary Responsibilities

Design electromechanical products with a firm grasp of engineering principles such as static analysis, optical modeling, heat transfer, electrical theory, material properties, GD&T, etc.

Review designs and drawings for engineering soundness.

Build and test ion sources, electron sources and plasma sources, including careful and thorough documentation of the results.

Run plasma processes including thin film deposition, etching, and assist.

Analyze data and report results & progress to the R&D team.

Use mathematical models including spreadsheets and other computer programs for developing new products and as a backup for customer applications.

Participate in the engineering change process and new product release process.

Manage projects to timelines and budgets.

Initiate and participate in design reviews.

Communicate and meet with customers and other departments to understand issues that could be resolved with product improvements.

Develop and implement engineering standards and procedures as necessary.

Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, benchmarking state-of-the-art practices, and participating in professional societies.

Critically review product manuals and other company-published literature for technical accuracy.

Skills and Qualifications

BS degree in engineering with excellent math skills, or equivalent experience.

Background in high vacuum preferred.

General understanding of plasma physics, computers, and electronics.

Must demonstrate mechanical/technical ability.

Mechanical design proficiency.

Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).

Understanding of advanced mathematics, print reading, and electrical theory.

Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

SolidWorks or equivalent 3D CAD proficiency; AutoCAD a plus.

Programming/scripting a plus (especially MATLAB).

Microsoft Office skills.

Familiarity with ERP software.

Good communication and willingness to work as a team.

Customer focus.

Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.