Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - Pulsed Power & Experimental Systems
Full-time or part-time? Full time
Hourly or salary? Salary
Will this role be remote, hybrid, or fully on-site? Onsite, Livermore, CA
If hybrid/on-site; will travel or relocation be offered? How much?
Relocation Bonus? How much? TBD
Will a clearance be required? Ability to obtain? Yes - current DOE Q preferred; ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance acceptable
DoD S, TS, SCI? DOE L, Q? DOE Q
Will this role directly supervise? No
Is this an evergreen (continuously open) role? No
Employee (if contractor, the process is different)? Employee
What is the pay range? $180-220,000
Hiring manager: (Project Manager name) Jackie Becker
Supervisor name: (Project Manager name) Curtis Christensen
Any other team members who should have visibility into the role? N/A
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - Pulsed Power & Experimental Systems
At Salas O’Brien we tell our clients that we’re engineered for impact. This passion for making a difference applies just as much to our team as it does to our projects. That’s why we’re committed to living our values every day: inspiring, achieving, and connecting as shared owners of our success with a focus on a sustainable future.
Building for the long-term means that all of our team members can expect to work on amazing projects with a people-first approach to problem solving. It also means that each member of our team has truly limitless potential to build a unique, meaningful, and high-impact career—and they’ll receive great total rewards along the way.
About Us:
Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and professional services firm focused on achieving impact for our clients, our team, and the world. We know that tomorrow’s requirements are today’s opportunities, and we are here to design lasting solutions for pressing challenges.
We work across a variety of industries providing integrated engineering and consulting services. Our specialized experience includes design for data centers, healthcare, science and technology, high-rise buildings, clean energy, education, and other building types as well as structural and building sciences, infrastructure asset management, advanced robotics, and more.
Our technical expertise is paired with an exceptional team of business development, human resources, finance and accounting, information technology, and marketing professionals, all of whom play a key role in bringing our commitments to life every day.
Job Summary:
The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer will provide hands-on mechanical and opto-electro-mechanical design support for complex experimental, pulsed power, high-voltage, accelerator, diagnostic, and other mission-critical hardware in research and production environments with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA. The selected candidate will work closely with physicists, engineers, technologists, manufacturing personnel, and program staff to take sophisticated hardware from early concepts through final design, documentation, procurement, fabrication, assembly, installation, and testing. This role requires a strong background in precision mechanical design, design definition, configuration-controlled drawing packages, GD&T, and manufacturing. The ideal candidate is comfortable working independently on fast-paced technical programs while also leading or checking the work of designers and detailers and coordinating with fabrication vendors and internal stakeholders.
Responsibilities:
- Develop mechanical and opto-electro-mechanical designs for complex experimental, pulsed power, high-voltage, accelerator, and diagnostic systems.
- Translate conceptual requirements from physics and engineering staff into detailed 3D models, assemblies, drawings, and released design packages.
- Support hardware through the full design lifecycle, including concept development, design reviews, documentation, procurement, fabrication, assembly, installation, and testing.
- Apply GD&T and ASME Y14.5 principles, tolerance analysis, and sound design-for-manufacturing practices to precision hardware and assemblies.
- Create, revise, check, and release CAD models and engineering drawings using Creo/ProENGINEER and/or SolidWorks within controlled PDM/PLM environments.
- Coordinate with machine shops, fabricators, suppliers, and procurement personnel to obtain quotes, resolve manufacturing issues, track hardware, and meet aggressive project schedules.
- Lead or coordinate the technical work of designers and detailers, perform design checks, and help ensure quality and consistency of engineering deliverables.
- Collaborate across mechanical, electrical, physics, controls, and manufacturing teams to resolve multidisciplinary design and integration challenges.
- Support design reviews, configuration management, drawing release, installation activities, and continuous improvement of engineering and design processes.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible mechanical design, mechanical engineering technology, product design, or related experience supporting complex hardware.
- Extensive hands-on experience with Creo/ProENGINEER and/or SolidWorks is required.
- Demonstrated expertise in GD&T and ASME Y14.5, engineering drawing development and checking, tolerance analysis, configuration control, and manufacturing methods is strongly preferred.
- Experience with pulsed power, high-voltage systems, accelerator technologies, diagnostics, experimental physics hardware, nuclear security programs, or other national laboratory R&D environments is highly desirable.
- Experience with Windchill, PDMLink, ELM, or similar PDM/PLM systems and with vendor fabrication/procurement is preferred.
- A bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, engineering technology, design, manufacturing technology, or a related field is preferred; an equivalent combination of education and extensive relevant experience may be considered.
- Current DOE Q clearance is preferred; candidate must be able to obtain and maintain required clearance.
Travel: N/A
Compensation & Benefits:
The expected base salary or hourly range for this role is $180-220,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on a number of factors including skills, experience, qualifications, and location.
This role is also eligible for performance-based bonuses and a comprehensive U.S. based benefits package, including:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off and company holidays
- Wellness programs and employee assistance resources
- Professional development support
For more information, visit our full benefits overview here.
Equal Opportunity Employment Statement
Salas O’Brien provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, or local laws. Salas O’Brien will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants as required by law.
Third-Party Agency Notice
Salas O’Brien does not accept unsolicited resumes from external recruiters or agencies. We only work with approved partners engaged directly by our Talent Acquisition team for specific searches. Unsolicited submissions will not be eligible for placement fees.
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
Skills Required
- Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible mechanical design, mechanical engineering technology, product design, or related experience supporting complex hardware
- Extensive hands-on experience with Creo/ProENGINEER and/or SolidWorks
- Expertise in GD&T, ASME Y14.5, engineering drawing development and checking, tolerance analysis, configuration control, and manufacturing methods
- Experience with pulsed power, high-voltage systems, accelerator technologies, diagnostics, experimental physics hardware, nuclear security programs, or national laboratory R&D environments
- Experience with Windchill, PDMLink, ELM, or similar PDM/PLM systems and vendor fabrication/procurement
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, engineering technology, design, manufacturing technology, or a related field, or equivalent education and relevant experience
- Current DOE Q clearance or ability to obtain and maintain the required clearance
Salas O'Brien Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Salas O'Brien and has not been reviewed or approved by Salas O'Brien.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare options include multiple medical, dental, and vision plans with an individual medical option at no premium, plus no‑cost preventive medications and mental‑health resources. Employer‑paid disability and life coverage further strengthen the safety net.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off includes a base PTO allotment plus company office‑closure days and paid parental leave for births, adoptions, and foster placements. Feedback suggests the breadth of leave is a standout component of the package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits include a 401(k) employer match with a potential additional company stock contribution, along with RRSP support in Canada and a student‑loan payment 401(k) match in the U.S. These features provide structured long‑term savings support beyond base pay.
Salas O'Brien Insights
What We Do
Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and technical services firm focused on advancing the human experience through the built environment. Our team is engineered for impact™, helping clients achieve critical goals, advancing our team members through growth and opportunity, and operating at the center of important global issues, including sustainability and decarbonization. We are a top firm as ranked by Engineering News-Record and Consulting-Specifying Engineer, and we have appeared for over a decade on the Inc. 5000 list of North America’s fastest-growing private companies.







