- Job title
- R&D Technician
- Job location
- San Francisco, CA, US
- Job description
- We’re looking for an R&D Technician who loves building real hardware, getting their hands dirty, and making experiments actually work. If your happy place is a lab or shop, turning wrenches, wiring up sensors, fixing that one flaky connector, and helping bring bleeding-edge hardware to life; you’ll fit right in.
**What You’ll Be Doing**
* **Building and assembling hardware and test setups:** assembling magnet test stands, power racks, cryogenic plumbing, vacuum systems, and custom fixtures using mechanical drawings and wiring diagrams.
* **Hands-on wiring, soldering, and instrumentation:** terminating cables and connectors, building harnesses, routing and labeling wiring, soldering boards and connectors, and installing sensors (voltage taps, thermocouples, strain gauges, Hall probes, etc.).
* **Running experiments and collecting data:** setting up and operating DAQs, power supplies, oscilloscopes, DMMs, and other lab gear; executing test procedures; logging results; and flagging anomalies for the engineering team.
* **Supporting cryogenic and vacuum operations:** helping assemble and maintain cryostats, handling LN₂, operating vacuum pumps and gauges, leak-checking systems, and keeping an eye on “is everything actually sealed and cold?”
* **Standing up and organizing the R&D lab:** helping bring the lab online: setting up benches, mounting equipment, organizing tools and parts, labeling everything, and keeping the lab safe, tidy, and functional.
* **Debugging hardware on the bench:** tracking down loose connections, miswired harnesses, flaky sensors, and mechanical fit-up issues; working side-by-side with engineers to get systems from “it kinda works” to “it works every time.”
* **Doing whatever it takes in an early-stage startup:** from uncrating equipment and assembling racks/furniture to runs to the hardware store; you will be a core part of making the lab and company actually function.
**What You Bring**
* **Hands-on build and test experience:** 2+ years as a technician, mechanic, lab tech, or similar role in hardware R&D, manufacturing, automotive/EV, aerospace, electronics, or a related field. (Exceptional hobbyist/maker experience also counts.)
* **Comfort with tools and instrumentation:** confident using hand tools, basic machine/shop tools, soldering irons, crimpers, multimeters, power supplies, oscilloscopes, and basic DAQ software.
* **Ability to read and follow technical documentation:** comfortable working from mechanical drawings, simple CAD prints, wiring diagrams, and written procedures, and giving feedback when something does not match reality.
* **High ownership and reliability:** you take pride in clean builds, good cable management, accurate measurements, and leaving the lab better than you found it.
**Bonus points for any of the following**
* Experience with vacuum systems, cryogenics, or high-current / high-voltage equipment
* Experience with REBCO/HTS, magnets, or power electronics
* Basic familiarity with Python, LabVIEW, PLCs, or test automation
* Machine shop experience (CNC, manual mill/lathe, drill press, basic fabrication)
* **Startup-ready mindset:** willingness to get the often overlooked but critical work: assembling office furniture, unpacking crates, organizing inventory, and helping build a world-class lab from the ground up.
