Senior Laser Process Engineer

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™ 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. This full-time position is based in Emeryville within the Process Engineering organization.

• •Develop, optimize, and scale pulsed-laser manufacturing processes, including cutting, milling, selective ablation, and welding.
• •Design and analyze experiments to understand laser-material interactions across metals, ceramics, and polymers - clearly defining goals, hypotheses, inputs, and outputs - and document and standardize processes to ensure reproducibility.
• •Manage calibration and verification systems across many machines, build and execute qualification/validation protocols, establish process monitoring and control, and train and hand off to production personnel.
• •Troubleshoot equipment, materials, and process issues, driving disciplined root-cause analysis to durable resolution.
• •Develop and refine tool paths and machine programs using CAD/CAM and G-code to maximize precision and efficiency.
• •Work with laser system design engineers to translate process learnings into system usability, performance, and features.
• •Partner with Design, AI, Hardware/Software, and Manufacturing teams while mentoring engineers and technicians to champion best practices and process quality.
• •Ensure safe operation of high-power laser systems, adhering to industry standards and internal safety protocols.

• •A master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or a related field, and 6-10 years of relevant industry experience.
• •Strong foundational knowledge of laser-material interaction and the physics of heating, melting, and ablation, along with heat transfer and thermomechanical phenomena.
• •Hands-on experience with laser processing and parameter development (pulsed-laser experience ideal but not required); knowledge of laser and optical system design and performance.
• •Experience scaling processes and handing off to production.
• •Proficiency in DOE and statistical analysis.
• •Experience with Python and ability to leverage AI tools for programming.
• •Experience with metrology tools such as optical imaging and profilometry, CMM, SEM/EDS/EBSD, XRF, and X-ray CT.
• •Excellent verbal and written communication with diverse stakeholders.
• •Strong ownership and accountability; adaptable to changing priorities and comfortable managing many concurrent tasks.
• •A collaborative attitude and team-focused mindset.

$220,000 — $240,000 USD