Senior Systems Engineer

Cohu • San Diego, CA

4d

About The Position

MAIN OBJECTIVES
Translate complex customer and market requirements into robust mechatronic
and robotic system concepts that balance performance, reliability, usability,
and cost of ownership.
Drive multi‑disciplinary system-level innovation by integrating mechanical,
electrical, thermal, motion-control, and software domains into cohesive
machine platforms.
Moderate cross-functional concept development workshops and guide teams
through structured decision-making under uncertainty.
Evaluate feasibility and risk of new concepts using first-principles physics
and empirical modeling.
Ensure full-system traceability from requirements to implementation and
maintain architectural integrity throughout the development lifecycle for a
fully integrated robotic product.
Act as a technical authority and mentor for interdisciplinary engineering
teams during the development of complex mechatronic and robotic systems.
Drive development schedules of module and platform development projects
aligned to overall program and project dates to meet committed demonstration
and ship dates.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechatronics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field (PhD, MSc, MEng, etc. desired).
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the system-level leadership of complex mechatronic or robotic system development, ideally in semiconductor backend equipment.
• Minimum of 5 years as a direct engineer in a discipline.
• Proven track record in system engineering for multi-domain machine development, machine concept development, and cross-functional engineering leadership.
• Deep understanding of thermal systems, motion control, sensor integration, embedded control, and machine intelligence, and how these interact in a robotic product.
• Experience with requirement engineering, risk management, and certification processes.
• Strong knowledge of modeling tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink), CAE, and system simulation.
• Excellent English communication skills; German and/or French is a plus.
• Willingness to travel internationally up to 20%.

Nice To Haves

• PhD, MSc, MEng, etc. desired.
• Excellent English communication skills; German and/or French is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Conduct system-level requirement analysis and author technical specifications and design briefs for robotic/mechatronic platforms, machines, and modules.
• Lead the evaluation and selection of technical concepts in collaboration with domain experts across mechanical, electrical, controls, and software disciplines, based on functional, economic, and risk criteria.
• Ensure architectural consistency and interface compatibility between mechanical, electrical, and software-controlled subsystems.
• Guide the development of subsystem concepts and validate their feasibility through analytical modeling and simulation.
• Facilitate design reviews and ensure that development progress aligns with system-level integration objectives.
• Drive risk assessments and initiate necessary pre-development or technology validation activities.
• Ensure compliance with certification requirements (e.g., CE, SEMI, RoHS) and support the preparation of documentation.
• Support patent applications and the protection of intellectual property arising from system-level innovations.
• Present technical solutions and resolve system-level issues in collaboration with customers and stakeholders.

What This Job Offers

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