Mechanical Engineer - Industrial Systems Prototyping

The Role

This is a role at a fast-moving startup; you must thrive in a dynamic, rapidly evolving R&D environment and take strong initiative to solve complex interdisciplinary problems. We need an engineer who owns the entire design-build-test loop for advanced industrial equipment. You will balance analytical and simulation-informed design work with being on the shop floor machining parts, building assemblies, and testing subsystems and full machines. Success in this role requires being a collaborative team player who is meticulous about writing down processes, maintaining organized files, navigating ambiguity, and clearly communicating technical progress to the rest of the team.

About Ultropia

Industrial drying processes consume a significant fraction of global energy use, and high-energy gas dryers have no clear path to electrification.

At Ultropia, we are creating the future by rethinking industrial drying. Instead of evaporating liquid, we use acoustic energy to mechanically extract it, moving it out of the target material without a phase change. This side-steps the thermodynamics of existing heat-based drying processes and enables hyper-efficient material processing. We are taking a laboratory-proven technology to market under a National Science Foundation SBIR Phase II award and want your help engineering the future of industrial drying.

Key Responsibilities

• Engineering Ownership: Lead the end-to-end design, fabrication, and testing of complex industrial systems, designing and integrating key subsystems:

• Structures and Dynamics: Design structural frames and system components capable of withstanding large static loads and high-amplitude vibrations, including vibration isolation systems.

• Fluid and Thermal Systems: Design air and fluid handling systems, including heaters and vacuum systems. Perform thermal analysis of parts and assemblies.

• Electrical Integration: Support integration of electronics, including industrial panel design, PC board enclosures and cooling, wire raceways, conduits, and control panels. Perform harness assembly and panel construction.

• Motion and Power Transmission: Design moving systems consisting of motors, gearboxes, chains, conveyor belts, drums, rollers, and mechanical linkages.

• Hands-On Fabrication: Operate CNC mills, shop machinery, and additive manufacturing systems (FDM, SLA) to build prototypes and supporting equipment. Balance prototyping needs with long-term manufacturability at scale. Manage tooling, material inventories, and CAM processes.

• Specification and Procurement: Manage design documentation, bills of materials, 2D drawings and 3D renders. Specify commercial components, manage vendor relationships, and oversee procurement for specialty machining/fabrication, surface treatments, and off-the-shelf hardware.

• Electromechanical Integration: Work alongside electrical engineers to create designs that integrate ultrasonic power transducers, servos, motors, solenoids, pneumatic actuators, industrial sensors, and data acquisition hardware.

• Testing & Hardware Validation: Develop test procedures, build custom test rigs, and execute testing to validate designs. Support field testing and pilots as needed.

• Documentation & Cross-Functional Collaboration: Create and maintain rigorous documentation for design histories, testing logs, and operating procedures. Coordinate efforts and prioritize objectives in cross-functional team meetings.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electromechanical Systems Engineering, or a closely related technical field. Proven experience designing complex assemblies, including structural elements, rotating machinery, electromechanical components, and air/fluid handling systems.

• Strong background in material specification and related design practices, covering metals, plastics, and composites, including experience with adhesive bonding and surface preparations.

• Detailed structural and fatigue analysis of parts, fasteners, welds, and bondlines within assemblies experiencing heavy static and dynamic loads.

• Experience with thermodynamic modeling for heat transfer problems in both fluids and solids, including transient analysis.

• Extensive hands-on experience with physical prototyping, CNC setup/operation, and general shop equipment.

• Strong CAD/CAM proficiency and experience optimizing components for weight, performance, and manufacturing cost.

• Exceptional documentation practices and verbal communication skills; ability to articulate complex technical challenges clearly to a multidisciplinary team.