Support summary

Relocation support

Explicitly identified in the job description.

Visa sponsorship

Explicitly identified in the job description.

About this role

Role description

You will own the mechanical design of a new semiconductor thin-film deposition platform, turning ion and plasma hardware iterations into a manufacturable system with robust vacuum and thermal architecture. This includes source mechanical integration, precision assemblies, motion and alignment, and the interfaces between the source, chamber, target, and substrate handling.

You will be responsible for designing the vacuum chamber and surrounding mechanical architecture from scratch, defining the chamber layout, materials, interfaces, pumping strategy, and access requirements needed to support plasma operation, process stability, diagnostics, and scale-up to a fab-ready tool. You will partner directly with the Flow & Thermal Specialist on cooling and thermal-mechanical coupling, and work peer-to-peer with the CTO, source engineers, plasma engineers, and materials engineers to drive full-system decisions.

This position is in an early-stage startup environment. You should be ready for ambiguity, tight schedules, shifting priorities, rapid iteration, working directly alongside the CTO, and assuming wider responsibility for decisions that shape the final product-market fit.

Visa: Visa sponsorship is available

Equity: ESOP available, will be discussed individually

Work arrangement: 4 days on-site, 1 day hybrid

Work location: Eindhoven (High Tech Campus)

Salary range: €85k to €115k gross per year

Responsibilities

Own mechanical design of the full deposition platform: vacuum chambers, flanges, feedthroughs, source assemblies, and substrate fixtures.
Take designs from concept through CAD, FEA, fabrication drawings, and hands-on assembly.
Build the design of the vacuum chamber from scratch, integrating deep knowledge of vacuum physics into the mechanical architecture.
Design source mechanical integration: precision assemblies, thermal interfaces, alignment features, and tolerances that hold at operating temperature.
Lead chamber design for custom configurations: geometry, pumping ports, diagnostic access, and serviceability.
Drive component selection and supplier relationships for vacuum components, motion stages, seals, and materials.
Partner with the Flow & Thermal Specialist on cooling integration and thermal-mechanical coupling.

Main requirements

Background from top-tier semiconductor equipment manufacturers (ideally Applied Materials, Lam Research, ASML, or similar)
5+ years of hands-on mechanical design experience with semiconductor hardware.
Proven track record of designing vacuum systems from scratch, including chambers, flanges, seals, feedthroughs, and leak-tight interfaces.
Fundamental understanding of vacuum physics.
Hands-on experience building vacuum chambers.
Practical understanding of materials behavior: thermal expansion, outgassing, vacuum compatibility, and surface finish.
Excellent knowledge of mechanical design software (CAD, SolidWorks, or similar).
High agency and self-starting capabilities – you must be a senior professional who already knows what to do without being steered.
Fluent English

Other requirements

BSc or MSc in mechanical engineering, precision engineering, or a related field.
Practical experience in semiconductor equipment, thin-film deposition tools, or vacuum process equipment.
Experience managing external machine shops and vacuum chamber builders.
Practical experience with GD&T and tolerance stack-up on assemblies with tight mechanical budgets.
Familiarity with kinematic design or wafer handling.
Experience managing relationships with suppliers and prototype workshops: overseeing parts design, parts procurement with external partners, validation, and assembly.

Nice to have, but not mandatory