Senior Mechanical Engineer

Amptek is seeking a highly motivated Senior Mechanical Engineer to support the design, development, qualification, and manufacture of world-class X-ray and gamma-ray detection products. This role will focus on X-ray detectors and source technologies used in X-ray fluorescence (XRF), analytical instrumentation, industrial inspection, laboratory research, portable instrumentation, and nuclear and space applications.
The successful candidate will play a critical role in bringing new products from concept through production while supporting existing product lines and developing the manufacturing tooling and test fixtures required to ensure quality, reliability, and operational efficiency.
This position combines hands-on engineering with analytical design work and requires close collaboration with manufacturing, operations, quality, supply chain, and electrical engineering teams in Bedford, MA.
Functional Allocation:
30% New Product Introduction (NPI)
30% Sustaining Engineering
30% Manufacturing Test Fixture & Tooling Design
10% Technical Leadership Growth, Documentation, and Cross-Functional Support
Key Responsibilities:
New Product Introduction (30%)
Lead mechanical design efforts for next-generation X-ray source and detector products.
Develop concepts, prototypes, and production-ready designs for vacuum assemblies, pressure vessels, high-voltage systems, radiation shielding, thermal management systems, and opto-mechanical assemblies.
Create 3D CAD models, detailed drawings, and engineering documentation.
Perform tolerance analysis, Design for Manufacturability (DFM), and Design for Assembly (DFA) evaluations.
Participate in product architecture reviews, design reviews, risk assessments, and FMEA activities.
Support qualification testing including environmental, thermal, vibration, shock, life testing, and reliability verification.
Drive product transfer from development into volume manufacturing.
Sustaining Engineering (30%)
Provide technical ownership of released products and support ongoing production.
Investigate and resolve field failures, customer returns, manufacturing issues, and supplier-related problems.
Lead root cause analyses and implement corrective actions.
Manage engineering change orders (ECOs) and product improvements.
Identify opportunities for cost reduction, improved reliability, manufacturability, and product performance.
Support production yield improvement initiatives.
Work directly with OEM customers and field application teams when advanced technical support is required.
Manufacturing Test Fixture & Tooling Design (30%)
Design and develop manufacturing fixtures, production tooling, assembly aids, burn-in systems, and test equipment.
Create fixtures used for characterization, calibration, environmental testing, reliability testing, and manufacturing verification.
Design mechanical systems for radiation-safe test enclosures and automated test stations.
Collaborate with manufacturing engineering to improve throughput, repeatability, and process capability.
Support installation, validation, and continuous improvement of manufacturing equipment.
Generate fixture documentation, work instructions, and validation reports.
Technical Leadership Growth & Collaboration (10%)
Mentor junior engineers and technicians.
Provide technical guidance across cross-functional teams.
Participate in project planning, scheduling, and resource estimation.
Collaborate with engineering teams in Bedford and Finland and India.
Support supplier qualification and vendor technical reviews.
Maintain compliance with quality system and regulatory requirements.
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering required.
Minimum 8 years of mechanical engineering experience in product development and manufacturing environments.
Experience bringing products from concept through production release.
Proficiency with 3D CAD software such as SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, or equivalent.
Strong understanding of:
Mechanical design principles
Materials selection
Thermal management
Structural design
Manufacturing processes
Experience designing production tooling and test fixtures.
Hands-on prototyping and laboratory experience.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability and willingness to use AI tools to improve productivity, decision-marking, work quality, and to reduce costs.
The successful candidate must be able to identify appropriate AI use cases and critically evaluate AI-generated outputs.
Preferred Qual