The Role
Supports operation, maintenance, troubleshooting, testing, repair, and upgrades of complex mechanical systems at a summit observatory. Works with precision mechanisms, opto-mechanical assemblies, large structures, industrial equipment, hydraulics, pneumatics, and infrastructure. Coordinates with engineers, technicians, supervisors, project managers, and subcontractors; contributes to design reviews, engineering documentation, installation planning, fabrication, testing, and safe system integration.
Summary Generated by Built In
Join Our Team as a Summit Mechanical Engineer II at W. M. Keck Observatory in Waimea, Hawaiʻi!
Are you a hands-on Mechanical Engineer who enjoys solving complex, real-world technical challenges? Do you have experience troubleshooting, maintaining, and improving mechanical systems—from precision mechanisms and opto-mechanical assemblies to large structures, hydraulics, pneumatics, and summit infrastructure? If so, W. M. Keck Observatory invites you to explore this exciting opportunity.
Why Choose W.M. Keck Observatory:
Why Choose W.M. Keck Observatory:
- Competitive starting salary ranging from $108,914 to $132,395
- Generous benefits package, including 4 weeks of annual paid vacation
- A robust 8% 403(b) employer contribution (with a 4% employee contribution)
- Comprehensive, fully-paid employee health insurance
- Join a dedicated team working on the frontiers of astronomy.
About W.M. Keck Observatory: Located on Hawaii's Maunakea, W.M. Keck Observatory offers astronomers a unique vantage point to explore the universe, all while respecting the deep cultural significance of this site to the indigenous Native Hawaiian community. Our twin telescopes are at the forefront of astronomical research and provide invaluable insights into the cosmos. At Keck, we are committed to service, stewardship, and community engagement. Join us, and become an integral part of our mission.
A Day in the Life of a Summit Mechanical Engineer II:
As a Summit Mechanical Engineer II, you’ll play a key role in supporting the operation, maintenance, and upgrade of critical mechanical systems at our summit facility on Maunakea. This position is ideal for an engineer who thrives in both the field and collaborative project environments—someone who can diagnose issues, lead testing and repairs, support engineering design and integration, and coordinate multidisciplinary teams to keep world-class observatory systems performing safely and reliably.
In this role, you’ll work closely with engineers, summit supervisors, technicians, project managers, and subcontractors to support mechanical system upgrades, maintenance efforts, installation planning, and repair activities. You’ll review and interpret technical documentation, construction drawings, schematics, procedures, and industry standards while helping ensure engineering solutions are safe, practical, and completed with accountability.
At Keck, your work directly supports the frontiers of astronomy while honoring the cultural significance of Maunakea and our commitment to stewardship, service, safety, and community engagement. If you’re a motivated problem-solver with strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, hands-on troubleshooting skills, and a passion for supporting complex systems in a unique summit environment, we encourage you to apply.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering or a related degree.
Experience
- Five (5) years working on complex mechanical systems.
- Varied and broad experience with large industrial equipment such as motors, multi-stage gearboxes, drives, pumps, chillers, ventilation systems, and similar.
- Experience maintaining, testing, and troubleshooting mechanical systems.
- Experience building a machine that moves and requires power.
- Experience participating in design reviews and collaborating with a cross functional engineering team.
Technical Competency
- Field experience working with legacy systems and equipment.
- Well-versed in mechanical engineering first principles.
- Experience using 3D CAD software. SolidWorks preferred.
- Experience in Engineering Change (EC) control processes and engineering design reviews.
- Proficient in creating technical engineering documentation including reports and procedures.
- Experience with fabrication. For instance, cutting, milling, welding.
- Experience performing engineering tests. This may include testing for environmental conditions, vibration, shock, thermal, or similar experience and comfort using personnel lifts, cranes, hoists, or other lifting equipment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Rigging experience and the ability to create and lead lifting plans for use by Operations team.
- Condition monitoring, vibration analysis or other instrumentation experience (strain gauges).
- Reliability engineering and asset management principles.
- Operational fault diagnostics using SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems.
- Use of CMMS (computerized maintenance management system).
- Experience with opto-mechanical systems including kinematic mounting and alignment of optical systems.
- Experience handling both medium and large optics (meter-class).
- Experience with hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
- Experience with cryogenics and cryogenic instrumentation.
- Experience with clean room environments.
- Systems Engineering experience managing requirements verification and interface control.
- Project Management experience generating schedules and budgets.
- Experience with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5.
- Experience creating part and assembly drawings according to ASME Y14.100.
Don't miss the opportunity to be part of a dynamic team driving advancements in astronomy at W.M. Keck Observatory. Apply for this Summit Mechanical Engineer II position today and embark on an exciting journey with us.
About
At the W. M. Keck Observatory, we approach our work with wonder about the mysteries of the universe and with deep respect and care for Maunakea – a mountain revered in Hawaiʻi and unlike any other in the world. For more than three decades, astronomers using Keck Observatory’s twin 10-meter telescopes have vastly expanded our understanding of the cosmos through astonishing findings about our solar system, exoplanets, supermassive black holes, the evolution of the universe, and more. We are dedicated to the values of service and stewardship, while advancing the frontiers of astronomy, sharing our discoveries, and inspiring the imagination of all.
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering or a related degree
- Five years of experience working on complex mechanical systems
- Experience with large industrial equipment, including motors, gearboxes, drives, pumps, chillers, and ventilation systems
- Experience maintaining, testing, and troubleshooting mechanical systems
- Experience building a powered machine that moves
- Experience participating in design reviews and collaborating with cross-functional engineering teams
- Field experience with legacy systems and equipment
- Strong knowledge of mechanical engineering first principles
- Experience using 3D CAD software; SolidWorks preferred
- Experience with Engineering Change control processes and engineering design reviews
- Proficiency creating technical engineering documentation, reports, and procedures
- Fabrication experience, including cutting, milling, or welding
- Experience performing engineering tests, including environmental, vibration, shock, or thermal testing
- Comfort using personnel lifts, cranes, hoists, or other lifting equipment
- Rigging experience and ability to create and lead lifting plans
- Condition monitoring, vibration analysis, or instrumentation experience, including strain gauges
- Reliability engineering and asset management experience
- Operational fault diagnostics using SCADA systems
- Experience using CMMS software
- Experience with opto-mechanical systems, kinematic mounting, and optical alignment
- Experience handling medium and large optics
- Experience with hydraulic and pneumatic systems
- Experience with cryogenics and cryogenic instrumentation
- Experience in clean room environments
- Systems engineering experience with requirements verification and interface control
- Project management experience generating schedules and budgets
- Experience with GD&T according to ASME Y14.5
- Experience creating part and assembly drawings according to ASME Y14.100
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The Company
What We Do
The W. M. Keck Observatory telescopes are among the most scientifically productive on Earth. The two 10-meter optical/infrared telescopes atop Maunakea on the Island of Hawaiʻi feature a suite of advanced instruments including imagers, multi-object spectrographs, high-resolution spectrographs, integral-field spectrometers, and world-leading laser guide star adaptive optics systems. Keck Observatory is a private 501(c) 3 non-profit organization operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. We wish to recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of Maunakea has always had within the Native Hawaiian community. We are most fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct observations from this mountain
