Senior Mechanical Designer - Cryomechanical Systems

Microsoft • Redmond, WA

1d • $119,800 - $234,700

About The Position

The Cryomechanical team enables Microsoft Quantum’s hardware roadmap by designing, integrating, and sustaining cryogenic mechanical systems, packaging solutions, and laboratory infrastructure that support reliable experimentation, scalable system integration, and the transition from research concepts to producible hardware. The role owns products throughout their lifecycle, from defining requirements and creating designs to overseeing initial builds, incorporating customer feedback, improving equipment, and supporting installations.

The Senior Mechanical Designer creates 3D models and detailed 2D drawings, manages bills of materials and product data, leads design reviews, translates system needs into mechanical specifications, and prepares installation work instructions. The role works hands-on with engineers, technicians, suppliers, and manufacturing teams to support cryogenic hardware design, fabrication, assembly, and integration. Microsoft expects the person in this role to learn continuously, collaborate across disciplines, communicate clearly, and contribute to an inclusive environment with rigorous engineering and shared accountability.

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 passing the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
• Ability to provide citizenship or qualifying status documentation for export-control eligibility assessment; citizenship will be verified with a valid passport, with applicable alternative documentation accepted for lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees.
• Experience contributing to inclusive, cross-disciplinary engineering teams through clear communication, inviting diverse perspectives, and helping team members contribute effectively and succeed.
• Ability to leverage AI tools to drive innovation and efficiency, including in an AI-first environment using modern AI tools to accelerate discovery through hardware development.

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 in those fields and at least 6 years; or a bachelor's degree in those fields and at least 8 years; or equivalent experience.
• Proven CAD skills, preferably Creo, including creating complete 3D models from scratch and releasing production-grade drawings.
• Deep mechanical design proficiency involving mechanisms, 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 producing clear documentation, including review packages, checklists, risks, decisions, and release artifacts within standardized processes.
• Experience leading complex mechanical design efforts across multiple contributors, assigning work appropriately, 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, 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.
• At least 5 years documenting, dispositioning, and providing corrective action for hardware non-conformances.

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 steward the top assembly and BOM, managing part numbering, configurations, ECO and ECR workflows, and PDM/PLM toolchains such as SolidWorks, Windchill, and OnePDM.
• Lead Cryomechanical Engineering design reviews using standard 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 and 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 technicians in the field.
• Drive DFM/DFX with suppliers by generating build packages, supporting fabrication through first-article approval, dispositioning nonconformances using tolerance and fit assessments, and capturing as-built changes in drawings and BOMs.
• Model Microsoft’s culture and values through continuous learning, cross-disciplinary collaboration, clear communication, inclusion, and shared accountability.

What This Job Offers

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