Senior Mechanical Technician — Hardware Engineering

QuEra Computing•Boston, MA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

QuEra Computing builds neutral-atom quantum computers that change the world. They are composed of precision optics, custom electronics, liquid-cooled electronics racks, and ultra-high-vacuum systems. The Hardware Engineering group designs, builds, and delivers that platform. We are moving towards repeatable, production-quality machine builds, and we need who know how to build. The role We're hiring a Senior Mechanical Technician to be the hands-on backbone of our Hardware Engineering team. You'll fabricate, assemble, test, and troubleshoot the mechanical and fluid systems inside our quantum computers — and you'll help us turn tribal knowledge into procedures and fixtures that contract manufacturers can execute. This is a senior, high-autonomy role. You'll work directly with mechanical, electrical, and optical engineers and with physicists on live machines. You'll be a first call when something needs to be built or fixed right now, and be a driver in making our builds measurable, repeatable, and safe.

Requirements

7+ years as a mechanical technician or mechanical assembler in a precision hardware environment (data center, telecom, scientific instruments, semiconductor equipment, aerospace, optics, medical devices, or similar).
Comfortable on mill; able to hold ±0.010" when needed
Hands-on experience with fluid systems — fittings, tubing, manifolds, pumps or chillers — and with pressure and leak testing.
Comfortable working around sensitive optics and electronics: cleanliness, ESD, and "measure twice" habits.
Able to lift 50 lb, work on ladders and under tables, and spend most of the day on your feet in a lab.
Clear written and verbal communication; you document what you did and tell people what you found.

Nice To Haves

Soldering and cable construction
CNC programming (conversational or CAM) and experience standing up a small shop.
Basic CAD (SolidWorks or Inventor) to model fixtures or fix a drawing.
Experience writing work instructions or SOPs, or training others to a procedure.
Familiarity with vacuum hardware, opto-mechanics, or cleanroom practice.
Experience supporting a transition to contract manufacturing (FAI, supplier visits, process qualification).
Welding, brazing, or sheet-metal fabrication.

Responsibilities

Machine and module assembly: Build and integrate mechanical subassemblies for our machines: electronics racks, enclosures and frames, cold plates and liquid-cooling manifolds, cable management, and opto-mechanical module hardware. Perform precision assembly to documented procedures — torque specs, cleanliness requirements, fastener control, serialization. Support installation and rework on operating machines, coordinating carefully with the scientists and engineers who run them.
Test, inspection, and troubleshooting: Execute pressure and leak tests, flow checks, and mechanical inspections; record results and flag anything out of spec. Diagnose mechanical and fluid-system problems on the floor and drive them to a fix, escalating design issues to engineering with clear evidence. Support root-cause investigations with hands-on teardown, measurement, and recreation of failure modes.
Fabrication and prototyping: Run and own the mechanical development room and machine shop: manual/CNC-assist mill, saws, drill press, hand tools, and layout/inspection equipment. Machine fixtures, brackets, adapters, and one-off parts from engineering drawings or sketches; make sound judgment calls on tolerances, materials, and finish. Keep the shop organized, tooled, stocked, and safe; train engineers and co-ops on safe tool use.
Manufacturing and contract-manufacturer support: Turn engineer intent into build-ready work instructions, travelers, and fixture designs; red-line drawings when the part doesn't match the print. Perform incoming inspection and first-article inspection on parts and assemblies from suppliers and contract manufacturers. Travel occasionally to contract manufacturers to train their technicians, qualify processes, and troubleshoot builds.
Lab infrastructure and safety: Maintain lab mechanical infrastructure: chillers and cooling loops, racks and tables, compressed gas and utilities. Follow and help improve our safety practices — lockout/tagout, liquid-cooling shutoffs and leak detection, laser-lab conduct. Mentor junior technicians and engineering co-ops.