Hardware Development Engineer

ENSURGE•San Jose, CA

5d•$121,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

Ensurge is seeking a Hardware Development Engineer to design and execute equipment upgrades and hardware improvements across our pilot manufacturing lines. Reporting to the Head of Equipment & Facilities Engineering, this individual contributor role works hand-in-hand with equipment engineering, maintenance, and manufacturing engineering to turn recurring tool problems and process needs into designed, built, and validated hardware solutions. This role spans the full lifecycle of a hardware improvement — from identifying an opportunity or chronic issue, through concept and CAD design, fabrication or procurement, installation, and validation on the line.

Requirements

3–10+ years of experience in mechanical or hardware design engineering, ideally supporting manufacturing or process equipment (semiconductor, battery, thin-film, electronics, or similar).
Strong CAD proficiency (SolidWorks or equivalent) and solid fundamentals in mechanical design, tolerancing, and materials selection.
Hands-on experience designing, building, and installing fixtures, tooling, or equipment hardware — not just modeling on a screen.
Comfortable working directly on the equipment floor, troubleshooting alongside technicians and engineers.
Able to move a design from concept to installed hardware quickly, without sacrificing rigor.
Hands-on and resourceful — comfortable designing a solution and then helping build and install it.
Synergized with the team — seeks input from equipment engineers, technicians, and process owners rather than designing in isolation.
Ownership mentality — sees an upgrade through from idea to validated, working hardware.
Disciplined problem solver — fixes root causes, documents thoroughly, and builds toward repeatable standards.
Low ego, collaborative, and comfortable in a fast-moving, scaling environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with vacuum systems, deposition tools, roll-to-roll/web handling, or cleanroom equipment.
Exposure to controls, sensors, or basic automation (PLC, motion control) as part of hardware upgrades.
Experience supporting pilot lines or first-of-kind manufacturing equipment.
Background in laser processing, precision assembly, or material handling equipment.
BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

Design, build, and install upgrades to existing production and pilot equipment — from targeted fixes to full subsystem redesigns.
Translate chronic equipment issues, reliability data, and process requirements into concrete hardware design solutions, in partnership with Equipment Engineering.
Own upgrade projects end-to-end: concept, design, fabrication/procurement, installation, and validation.
Design and improve custom hardware, mechanisms, and fixtures to solve problems that off-the-shelf equipment doesn't address.
Create detailed CAD models and drawings for fixtures, brackets, tooling, and custom equipment hardware.
Apply sound mechanical design and tolerancing practices for equipment operating in vacuum, cleanroom, or precision handling environments.
Specify components, materials, and vendors, and manage fabrication or outside machining through to delivery.
Build and test prototypes before committing designs to full installation.
Work daily with Equipment Engineering and Maintenance to prioritize upgrades based on uptime, MTBF/MTTR, and safety impact.
Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to ensure hardware changes support process requirements, throughput, and repeatability.
Coordinate with Technology (R&D) on tool modifications needed to support new processes or process development.
Align with Quality and EHS on any hardware change that affects process control, traceability, or safety.
Validate new hardware and upgrades against defined acceptance criteria before handoff to production.
Document designs, drawings, change history, and installation/maintenance procedures so upgrades are sustainable and repeatable.
Support root cause analysis on equipment issues and translate findings into design changes, not just workarounds.
Feed lessons learned from each upgrade into equipment standards and future tool designs.