Senior Mechanical Engineer

Build a career powered by innovations that matter!  At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing—improving productivity, enhancing people’s lives and redefining what’s possible.  We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission-critical applications—from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing.

Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.  Looking for a great place to work?  You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment.  Come explore Novanta.

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer, you will lead mechanical design efforts for both new product development and the sustainment of existing systems. You will translate requirements into practical design solutions, develop models and drawings, and guide projects through prototyping, testing, and release. This role works closely with cross‑functional teams to ensure performance, reliability, and manufacturability targets are met while providing hands‑on problem solving and technical leadership across the full product lifecycle.

Novanta’s Precision Manufacturing group develops advanced laser sources, beam‑steering technologies, and fully integrated photonics subsystems that deliver high‑accuracy performance for medical, life science, and industrial OEMs. As one of the few companies that designs both laser and beam‑delivery technologies, Novanta provides tightly matched, reliable systems that support applications such as micromachining, additive manufacturing, diagnostics, and fine material processing. These solutions enable micron‑level precision, faster throughput, and simplified integration through a portfolio that includes CO₂, ultrafast, and diode lasers, galvanometer scan heads, controllers, and integrated software

Primary Responsibilities

• Design and conduct research as needed, apply principles of heat transfer, solid mechanics, dynamic, and materials engineering to the development of laser scanning components.
• Lead general projects or product development projects and/or take leadership roles within project development teams.
• Create items and BOMs as part of design documentation. Update and release items and BOMs through Engineering Change Orders (ECOs)
• Have thorough understanding of manufacturing fabrication processes (milling, turning, sheet metal fabrication, plating, etc.) for mechanical components. Knowledge of optical components is a plus.
• Ensure system and product quality and reliability by using knowledge of mechanical testing methods.
• Prepare product reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing design and testing information and trends.
• Participate and provide feedback in Design Reviews during Product Development Process.
• Collaborate with Project Management and R&D Leadership in the development of project scope, schedule and budget estimates.
• Complete projects to meet time-to-market requirements and contribute to team effort by accomplishing tasks as needed.
• Support manufacturing where required in either problem solving and/or general support.

Required Experience, Education, Skills and Competencies

• Due to ITAR restrictions candidates must be a US Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or US Citizen. No exceptions.
• Education: Minimum bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering
• Experience: Minimum 10 years of experience in an Engineering role
• Experience with 3D Modeling (such as SolidWorks), and Finite Element Analysis (for mechanical and thermal systems).
• Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5
• Experience writing Change Orders and Engineering Change Order processes.

• Knowledge of all forms of metal fabrication, processing and materials
• Knowledgeable about manufacturing processes and methods including flow, layout, assembly and production equipment.
• Ability to lead complex troubleshooting in response to unexpected failures. Execute structured problem-solving using DIVE and 8D Problem Solving.
• Experience in DFx, e.g. Design for Manufacturing, for Cost (in particular), for Reliability, for Performance etc.
• Experience in DFMEA and PFMEA development.
• Demonstrated results in product development. Experience with project management is a requirement.

Preferred Experience, Education, Skills and Competencies

• Master’s Degree
• Opto-Mechanical system design knowledge.
• Brushless DC motors and electrical engineering principles
• Ball Bearings, Air Bearings, Thin film fluids
• Experience of or ability to use machine shop equipment/tools (lathe, CNC machines etc).
• additional software knowledge e.g. Mathcad, Matlab, ANSYS, etc.
• Experience working with PLM software (such as Arena).

Travel Requirements         

•  Full-time on site in Bedford, MA
• 10%

Physical Requirements

• Sit and stand while performing duties.
• Able to lift up to 30 lbs.

Novanta is proud to be an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action workplace. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, military and veteran status, disability, genetics, or any other category protected by federal law or Novanta policy.

Please call +1 781-266-5700 if you need a disability accommodation for any part of the employment process.