Mechatronic or Mechanical Engineering Manager

Hummingbird Scientific • Lacey, WA

11d • Onsite

About The Position

Hummingbird Scientific is entering a new era: building next-generation in-situ electron microscopy products, , designed for a world moving fast toward automation, autonomy, and AI-assisted microscopy workflows . Our instruments are used by national labs and top-10 research universities , and we’re growing capacity, expanding our production floor, and scaling our engineering team to support what’s next. We’re hiring an Engineering Manager who is a true player-coach : a hands-on precision mechanical/mechatronics engineer who also knows how to build a team, run execution, and deliver . If you love pulling people together, hiring great engineers, and turning complex ideas into reliable, manufacturable products—this role has your name on it.

Requirements

• Have been the direct manager of a small engineering team, with real ownership in hiring (and the maturity to handle performance decisions when needed).
• Are still a current, strong mechanical designer —not someone who left hands-on engineering a decade ago.
• Have deep experience designing precision mechanical systems / mechatronics , and you’ve worked closely with machinists and builders.
• Believe in and practice formal project management (whatever the toolset): plans, milestones, dependency thinking, risk management, communication rhythms, and execution discipline.
• Are energized by growth, pace, and responsibility—this is a “build the next level” role, not a comfort role.
• 8+ years in precision mechanical design / product development (scientific instruments, robotics, automation, or similar)
• 3+ years in people leadership (or equivalent), with demonstrated hiring and team-building success.
• Strong system thinking: mechanisms + integration + manufacturing realities
• Comfort working across engineering, machining, assembly, and operations
• SolidWorks proficiency (or equivalent) required

Nice To Haves

• Experience with vacuum, cryo, microscopy-related systems (TEM/SEM), or high-stability motion/positioning systems
• Familiarity with quality systems, inventory, process improvement, or shop-floor workflows

Responsibilities

• Lead and build the team
• Manage and develop a small, high-output engineering group (with real ownership of hiring and performance).
• Recruit, hire, and scale the team as programs expand—setting expectations, coaching, and building an accountable culture.
• Own project execution (for real)
• Be the “master of project management” inside engineering: translating goals into plans, schedules, milestones, risks, and daily progress.
• Drive cross-functional alignment between engineering, assembly, machining, and production operations so work flows smoothly and predictably.
• Stay hands-on
• Contribute daily to new product development: precision mechanisms, stage hardware, mechatronics integration, and design-for-manufacturing .
• Work directly with machinists and assembly to solve real-world build issues fast—and raise the bar on design quality and throughput.
• Shape the next generation of products
• Help lead the development of: Next-gen TEM in-situ precision mechanical design In-situ and sample prep workflow automation Software integration for automated and AI-enabled tools

Benefits

• Hummingbird Scientific offers a generous compensation package based on experience and demonstrated capability, including paid vacation, holidays, sick time, medical and dental benefits, and a company 401(k) plan.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed