Atomic Machines

Develops atomically precise MEMS fabrication machines

Mechanical Engineering Leadership - Vacuum Systems

Engineering LeadershipUpdated on Nov 13

Full-timeEmeryville, CA, USAIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

Technical leadership in developing physical vapor deposition (PVD) equipment or substantial PVD modules through integration, commissioning, and qualification, with enough system breadth to guide a complete tool.
Strong mechanical and vacuum engineering fundamentals, including chamber design, pumping and gas loads, precision motion, thermal management, materials compatibility, and verification.
Experience adapting industry designs and practices to new requirements, with demonstrated improvements in development time or equipment performance.
Direct engineering management experience, including hiring, developing independent technical ownership, addressing performance, and delivering across disciplines.

Responsibilities

Lead Vacuum Systems mechanical engineering and build the team and capabilities needed to expand the Matter Compiler’s manufacturing processes, with an immediate focus on the physical vapor deposition (PVD) system.
Own development of vacuum chambers and pumping, deposition sources, precision motion, thermal management, and automated material handling from concept through qualification and sustained operation.
Set architecture with technical leads, review designs, guide experiments, and resolve integration problems with process, electrical, controls, software, and manufacturing partners.
Develop engineers and technical leaders, establish engineering standards, and set priorities for the Vacuum Systems team; partner with an engineering program manager on planning, dependencies, and delivery.
Translate process and device requirements into equipment that meets throughput, repeatability, reliability, and cost targets.
Build and qualify a high-rate PVD system, balancing deposition performance with vacuum, thermal, handling, and maintenance constraints.
Choose what to buy, adapt, or develop in-house, using proven designs and focused experiments to shorten development.
Establish performance across representative operating conditions, maintenance cycles, and repeated builds.
Hire missing expertise and develop engineers and leaders who can independently own difficult technical work.
Set technical direction, resolve system interfaces, and hold the team accountable for equipment performance and readiness.
Prioritize technical risks, allocate people and resources, and make commitments grounded in analysis, experiments, and build progress.

Desired Qualifications

Delivery of complex vacuum equipment beyond the initial prototype into qualified operation and subsequent builds.
Hands-on architecture, design review, testing, and root-cause analysis, including work with suppliers and service teams.
Experience building the integration capabilities, engineering standards, and review practices needed by a growing equipment organization.
Experience setting direction, developing leaders, and making resource, supplier, or architecture decisions across programs or equipment generations.
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

Atomic Machines is building the Matter Compiler™, the first in a new class of AI-native, all-digital manufacturing systems that build working machines directly from code. The Matter Compiler (MC) is aimed at micro-machines: motors and gears the size of a grain of sand, robots small enough to work inside the body, cooling built directly into the chips that run AI, and the many devices like them that have been waiting on a way to build them. Its first product is PrimeSwitch™, an electromechanical power relay the size of a button battery that carries 150 amps continuous current and opens in 50 microseconds, about a thousand times faster than a conventional contactor. Founded by Jeff Holden — serial entrepreneur, ex-Amazon SVP and Uber’s first Chief Product Officer — the company has raised $250 million to date.

Atomic Machines is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in Emeryville and Santa Clara.

About The Role:

You’ll lead Vacuum Systems mechanical engineering and build the team and capabilities needed to expand the Matter Compiler’s manufacturing processes. Your immediate priority is our physical vapor deposition (PVD) system.

The work spans vacuum chambers and pumping, deposition sources, precision motion, thermal management, and automated material handling. You’ll own development from concept through qualification and sustained operation.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll set architecture with technical leads, review designs, guide experiments, and resolve integration problems with process, electrical, controls, software, and manufacturing partners.You’ll develop engineers and technical leaders, establish engineering standards, and set priorities for the Vacuum Systems team. An engineering program manager will partner with you on planning, dependencies, and delivery.

Problems You’ll Solve

Translate process and device requirements into equipment that meets throughput, repeatability, reliability, and cost targets.
Build and qualify a high-rate PVD system, balancing deposition performance with vacuum, thermal, handling, and maintenance constraints.
Choose what to buy, adapt, or develop in house, using proven designs and focused experiments to shorten development.
Establish performance across representative operating conditions, maintenance cycles, and repeated builds.

Build, Own, Drive

Build. Hire missing expertise and develop engineers and leaders who can independently own difficult technical work.
Own. Set technical direction, resolve system interfaces, and hold the team accountable for equipment performance and readiness.
Drive. Prioritize technical risks, allocate people and resources, and make commitments grounded in analysis, experiments, and build progress.

How We Work

Fast learning loops. Our in-house labs, machine shop, and build team support early testing. The Hybrid Fab connects equipment decisions to process and device results.
First principles and experience. We combine proven engineering practices with analysis and experiments, testing assumptions as requirements change.
System in the loop. We verify repeatable performance in operation, including recovery after service and faults.
Forecasts informed by evidence. We retire risks early and update plans as measurements change our understanding.

What You’ll Need:

Technical leadership developing PVD equipment or substantial PVD modules through integration, commissioning, and qualification, with the system breadth to guide a complete tool.
Strong mechanical and vacuum engineering fundamentals: chamber design, pumping and gas loads, precision motion, thermal management, materials compatibility, and verification.
Experience adapting industry designs and practices to new requirements, with demonstrated improvements in development time or equipment performance.
Direct engineering management experience: hiring, developing independent technical ownership, addressing performance, and delivering across disciplines.

Ideally Your Background

Delivery of complex vacuum equipment beyond the initial prototype into qualified operation and subsequent builds.
Hands-on architecture, design review, testing, and root-cause analysis, including work with suppliers and service teams.
Experience building the integration capabilities, engineering standards, and review practices needed by a growing equipment organization.
Experience setting direction, developing leaders, and making resource, supplier, or architecture decisions across programs or equipment generations.
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

The compensation for this position also includes equity and benefits.

Salary Range

$230,000—$280,000 USD

Atomic Machines is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and does not discriminate based on characteristics protected by applicable law. We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including for individuals with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact [email protected]. To help our recruiting team manage application volume and respond to candidates more efficiently, Atomic Machines may use AI-assisted tools.

Salary Range 230000 - 280000 USD

About the Company

Atomic Machines

Develops atomically precise MEMS fabrication machines

Atomic Machines designs and ships fabrication systems aimed at atomically precise manufacturing (APM), starting with MEMS microfabrication. Its machines turn digital designs directly into physical objects at the atomic level, enabling extremely small and precise devices. The core product is a fabrication system that combines specialized hardware with control software and ongoing maintenance services, sold to semiconductor, automotive, healthcare, and consumer electronics manufacturers who need higher precision, efficiency, and scalability in their manufacturing. Unlike traditional MEMS fabrication that relies on silicon-based processes, Atomic Machines pursues a direct atom-by-atom construction path to improve performance and yield, and it offers custom fabrication solutions for large-scale or specialized needs. The company’s goal is to raise the bar for precision and manufacturing efficiency by making atomically precise production practical and scalable across multiple industries.

Company size: 201-500
Company stage: Seed
Total funding: Not listed
Headquarters: Emeryville, CA
Founded: 2019

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