Design, build, and align optomechanical assemblies for the tracker platforms (optic mounts, frames, and alignment and adjustment features), owning them end to end: idea, CAD model, fabricated parts, assembled and working hardware
Key Responsibilities
Design, build, and align optomechanical assemblies for the tracker platforms (optic mounts, frames, and alignment and adjustment features), owning them end to end: idea, CAD model, fabricated parts, assembled and working hardware
Build hardware hands-on: assemble prototypes and test articles, fixture and align optics, work through fit-up issues at the bench, and turn what you learn into the next design revision fast
Support test stand build, instrumentation, and commissioning: sensor mounting, wiring, calibration, DAQ integration, first light, and commissioning runs
Troubleshoot electromechanical systems hands-on: wiring harnesses, sensors, motor drivers, encoders, microcontrollers, and the code talking to them; multimeter, oscilloscope, and Python debugger in the same afternoon, root-causing failures and driving corrective actions back into the design
Work AI-native: drive the scripting, analysis, and documentation around your hardware with AI coding agents, and help make the team's test and simulation infrastructure agent-ready so campaigns can run overnight without a human babysitting them
Build and revise CAD models in PTC Creo and SolidWorks; develop drawing packages with GD&T (ASME Y14.5) for fabrication, weldments, and assemblies, run tolerance stack-up analyses, and iterate against fabrication feedback
Support structural analysis across tracker platforms: first-principles hand calculations, ANSYS FEA for detailed analysis, SAP2000 for code-checked wind-load combinations under ASCE 7-22
Document analysis, build progress, and decisions on the team wiki: methodology pages, test plans, weekly status, design memos
Present and defend your own work in design reviews, growing into ownership of larger subsystems over time
Collaborate with controls, software, and supply chain teams, and with external engineering partners and vendors
Requirements
BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline
1+ years of hands-on build or design experience with real hardware; internships, co-ops, research labs, and major project-team roles count
Strong fundamentals in math and physics: you reason from first principles, estimate before you compute, and check every result against known limits before you believe it; we probe this hard in interviews
Working knowledge of a parametric CAD tool; the team uses PTC Creo and SolidWorks
Working understanding of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) and tolerance stack-up analysis
Familiarity with common fabrication processes (machining, sheet metal, welding, 3D printing) and design-for-manufacturability and assembly (DFM/DFA) principles
Ability to back up simulation with first-principles hand calculations, and to run structured root-cause analysis when hardware misbehaves
A track record of building real hardware: internships, capstone projects, FSAE, solar car teams, robotics, makerspaces, or independent builds all count; bench experience matters more than coursework grades
The drive to own the full cycle yourself: take an idea to CAD, to built hardware, to test, learn from the mistakes, and iterate quickly rather than handing steps off to others
Comfort with shop and bench work: hand tools, fixturing, assembly, and careful mechanical work on precision hardware
Coursework or hands-on project experience in solid mechanics, statics, dynamics, and finite element analysis
Comfort troubleshooting electromechanical systems hands-on: wiring harnesses, sensors, motor drivers, encoders, microcontrollers, and the firmware or software talking to them
Fluency with AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, or similar) as a daily engineering tool: you use them to write most of your code, and you own every line they produce, reviewed, tested, and understood; expect us to ask you to show how you work with AI the same way we ask about your bench skills
The instinct to make work agentic: you can decompose a workflow into steps an agent can execute, with clean interfaces, verifiable checkpoints, and guardrails, and you have the judgment to catch an agent when it is confidently wrong; engineers who can direct several agents at once will outrun those who type everything themselves, and we hire the former
Strong written communication: you can document your work clearly enough that the next engineer can pick it up without asking you
The temperament to hold your ideas loosely: designs evolve weekly and priorities shift on real evidence; engineers who can let go and update move fastest
Hands-on experience assembling or aligning optical or precision mechanical hardware
Experience with motion components and mechanisms: bearings, actuators, gear and slew drives, bolted and welded joint design
Exposure to design validation and reliability practices: DFMEA, DVP&R, or environmental qualification testing
Coursework or research in optical systems, photonics, heat transfer, or solar energy
Hands-on experience with ANSYS, SAP2000, or another FEA package beyond classroom problem sets
Python or MATLAB scripting: kinematics, data reduction, plotting
Experience building agentic systems around real hardware or simulation: agents driving instruments, CAD, or simulation models through tool interfaces (MCP or similar), running parameter sweeps overnight, and summarizing the results; or any project where you gave an AI real levers and made its output trustworthy
Lab or test-stand experience involving DAQ, instrumentation, or calibration
Familiarity with controls fundamentals: open-loop versus closed-loop, sensor fusion concepts
Interest in solar energy, heliostats, or large-scale renewable infrastructure
Willingness to work extended hours and occasional weekends when builds, test campaigns, or program deadlines demand it
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted, and to work safely with shop tools, ladders, and lifts with appropriate PPE
Ability to work outdoors in Miami heat during assembly and field testing
Occasional travel to fabricators, vendors, and field sites
Ready to Apply?
Join Exowatt and make an impact in renewable energy