Senior Mechanical Designer - Cryomechanical Systems

Microsoft • Redmond, WA

2d • $119,800 - $261,000

About The Position

The Senior Mechanical Designer – Cryomechanical Systems will own products throughout their lifecycle, from initial requirements and design through build, installation, customer feedback, improvement, and ongoing sustainment. The role supports Microsoft Quantum’s hardware roadmap by designing, integrating, and sustaining cryogenic mechanical systems, packaging solutions, and laboratory infrastructure for reliable experimentation and scalable system integration.

The designer will create complete 3D models and detailed 2D drawings, document bills of materials (BOMs), create standard operating procedures (SOPs), and work hands-on during installations. The position also translates system requirements into mechanical specifications, leads design reviews, supports suppliers and manufacturing, and captures improvements and as-built changes in controlled product documentation. The role operates within Microsoft’s culture of growth mindset, customer obsession, diversity and inclusion, cross-team collaboration, and technological impact.

Requirements

• Doctorate in Physics, Engineering, or a related field and at least 1 year of industry or R&D experience, which may include postdoctoral research; or a master’s degree in those fields and at least 4 years of such experience; or a bachelor’s degree in those fields and at least 6 years of such experience; or equivalent experience.
• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
• For access to export-controlled information, provide proof of citizenship, U.S. permanent residency, or other protected status for eligibility assessment; citizenship will be verified with a valid passport, with other applicable documents accepted for lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees.

Nice To Haves

• Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field and at least 3 years of technical engineering experience; or a master’s degree and at least 6 years; or a bachelor’s degree and at least 8 years; or equivalent experience.
• CAD proficiency, with Creo preferred, and a proven record of creating complete 3D models from scratch and releasing production-grade drawings.
• Deep mechanical design experience, including complex mechanisms and multipart assemblies, COTS and custom component trade studies, and DFM/DFA practices.
• PDM/PLM proficiency for configuration control and BOM accuracy, using Windchill, OnePDM, or similar tools.
• Experience leading design reviews and maintaining clear documentation, including review packages, checklists, risks, decisions, and release artifacts under standardized processes.
• Experience leading complex mechanical design efforts across multiple contributors, assigning work, providing technical guidance and mentoring, and maintaining delivery accountability.
• At least 5 years integrating hardware inside dilution refrigerators across temperature stages from mK through 300 K, including thermal modeling or anchoring and RF or DC harnessing.
• At least 5 years using FEA or thermal simulation tools such as ANSYS Mechanical or COMSOL to guide design choices or validate designs.
• At least 5 years of hands-on cryogenic, vacuum, or UHV hardware experience, including cryogenic-service materials, coatings and finishes, vacuum seals, thermal interfaces, wiring fixtures, or low-outgassing practices.
• At least 5 years partnering with suppliers or manufacturing teams on precision machining, sheet metal, special processes, cleaning, vacuum bakeouts, cryogenic-compatible finishes, or first-article builds.
• At least 5 years operating in regulated or high-security lab environments and collaborating across distributed teams or sites.
• Experience contributing to inclusive, cross-disciplinary engineering teams by communicating decisions clearly, inviting diverse perspectives, and helping team members contribute effectively.
• At least 5 years documenting and dispositioning hardware nonconformances and providing corrective action.
• Ability to use AI tools to drive innovation and efficiency, including measurement, performance modeling and analysis, research gathering, and task automation.
• Ability to work in an AI-first environment using modern AI tools to accelerate discovery through hardware development.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end 3D CAD for cryogenic subassemblies and top-level mechanical integrations, including cold fingers, mK and 4 K stages, radiation shields, vacuum interfaces, and cable or harness routing fixtures; create detailed 2D drawings with GD&T and tolerance stackups.
• Build and maintain top-level assemblies and BOMs, including part numbering, configurations, ECO/ECR workflows, and PDM/PLM toolchains such as SolidWorks, Windchill, and OnePDM.
• Lead Cryomechanical Engineering design reviews using review packages covering CAD, drawings, critical-to-function specifications, materials, coatings, finishes, IQC, cryogenic screening plans, manufacturing and assembly flows, risks, and schedules.
• Translate system requirements into mechanical specifications for thermal anchoring, heat-load budgets, CTE mismatch management, vacuum sealing, vibration isolation, RF/DC cable management, and integration across temperature stages.
• Create detailed SOPs and installation work instructions, record key installation data, and communicate engineering intent to engineers and field technicians.
• Drive DFM/DFX with suppliers by creating build packages, supporting fabrication through first-article approval, dispositioning nonconformances using tolerance and fit assessments, and capturing as-built changes in drawings and BOMs.
• Embody Microsoft’s Culture and Values.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior