Associate Mechanical Engineer

Primary Work Address: 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147

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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus is a pioneering research center in Ashburn, Virginia, where scientists pursue fundamental questions in the life sciences. Our integrated teams of biologists, computational scientists, and tool-builders innovate research practices and technologies to solve biology's deepest mysteries. HHMI launched Janelia in 2006, establishing an intellectually enriching environment for scientists to do creative, collaborative, hands-on work. We share our methods, results, and tools with the scientific community.

About the role:

The Janelia Experimental Technology group (jET) is seeking highly talented and ambitious college grads to join our team and to be a part of the unique Janelia experience. We have recently established the jET internship (jETi) program with a current focus on recruiting recent Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering as well as college graduates with an advanced degree in Optics or AMO physics for intensive, renewable 1-year contracts during which you will get hands-on experience working on jET projects at the interface of engineering, neuroscience, cell biology, and optical imaging research.

• The opportunity to rapidly impact scientific research, on a timescale not often seen in industry.
• A state of the art engineering and prototype fabrication lab to bring designs from concept to reality.
• Mentorship and collaboration with senior engineers and scientists in the group and across the campus.
• Work on a wide range and variety of projects, from tiny one-off parts hard to see with the naked eye, to large equipment, or projects where thousands of components are needed.
• An inclusive group culture of continuous learning and improvement to deliver the best technical solutions possible.
• Competitive compensation, with comprehensive health and welfare benefits.

• Design, develop, assemble, integrate, test, debug, modify, and optimize simple to complex systems, instruments, and one-of-a-kind prototype component parts for research.
• Study project objectives, priorities, and requirements to identify and establish performance requirements and test methods for developed systems. Translate requirements into engineering concepts, designs and plans.
• Estimate upfront costs, and then track time and costs to enable proper charges to customers.
• Document your designs to ensure accurate technical records are produced.
• Work collaboratively with internal research customers and a multi-disciplinary jET team.
• Communicate all activities within assigned projects with the research customer and jET management.
• Recommend actions for professional self-development.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering
• Strong technical aptitude in mechanical engineering principles and practice.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including both verbal and written communication.
• Ability to translate varied and potentially ambiguous customer requests, which will be of a scientific as well as technical nature, into project requirements and design options.
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant fabrication, metrology and testing techniques, and a willingness to personally build and improve upon one's designs.
• Hands-on experience with mechanical design, fabrication, and implementation of instrumentation and/or automation for the life science industry or natural science research is a plus.
• Ability to describe and explain design concepts, theory of operation, usage and instructions for developed designs.
• Ability to create 3D cad models of mechanical parts and assemblies, as well as create necessary fabrication documentation using software packages such as Autodesk Inventor.
• Ability to work concurrently on multiple projects for various research groups and prioritize tasks so that work is performed efficiently.