Senior Product Engineer (Mechanical)

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know Or all of humanity

At Illumina we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients.

Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person in every role has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people inspiring leaders and world changing projects you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

Position Summary:

Responsible for supporting product lifecycle activities including new productintroduction product transfer and ongoing manufacturing operations. This role ensures productquality yield and compliance through engineering evaluation troubleshooting and continuousimprovement initiatives. Collaborates cross-functionally to drive process enhancements cost
optimization and operational excellence enabling smooth transition from design to production andsustaining high-performance standards throughout the product lifecycle.

Position Responsibilities:

Common Responsibilities:
Support and drive product transfer into manufacturing.
Perform data trending and analysis.
Apply FMEA DOE and statistical analysis to optimize product quality and reduce costs.
Drive process improvements cost reduction and product sustaining activities.
Manage Engineering Change Request and Notifications (CRs and CNs) including updates to workinstructions and test requirements.
Support documentation: engineering drawings BOMs test reports assembly procedures andvalidation plans.
Participate in continuous improvement initiatives and operational excellence programs.
Frequent cross-functional collaboration and occasional travel to other sites.
Provide guidance and mentorship to junior staff.

Discipline-Specific Responsibilities:

Mechanical Engineering Design & Development
Architect subsystem changes (enclosure/chassis mechanisms thermal/fluidics/optical interfaces).
Conduct advanced analyses (FEA-lite thermal modeling fluidic characterization).
Define reliability test plans (ALT/HALT life testing); own acceptance criteria.

ManufacturingSupport & NPI
Lead readiness for mass production: PFMEA updates process controls test method validation(TMV).
Approve critical fixture design changes; ensure calibration strategies.

Quality Reliability &Data
Institutionalize SPC dashboards and paretos; own CTQ monitoring.
Lead troubleshooting using structured frameworks (8D KT) with statistical validation.
Define CTQs and monitor Cp/Cpk for critical features.
Mentor juniors on interpreting SPC and DOE outputs.
Frames decisions with confidence intervals and risk quantification.
Coaches team to replace gut feel with evidence.
Escalates issues with quantified impact (yield % cost). Project & Process
Create and maintain integrated schedules; present status/risks at core team.
Manage cross-functional action logs; drive risk registers (severity occurrence detectability).

Documentation & Compliance
Author/approve validation protocols and reports; ensure full traceability.
Ensure change control rigor (ECR deviations waivers); audit readiness.

Collaboration
Coordinate design engineering and operations; harmonize requirements with servicefeedback.
Travel to CM/supplier sites for first builds; lead lessons learned.

Listed responsibilities are an essential but not exhaustive list of the usual duties associatedwith the position. Changes to individual responsibilities may occur due to business needs.

Position Requirements:

Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelors degree; or 3 years and a Masters degree; or a PhD without experience; or equivalent work experience.

Deep expertise in mechanical mechanisms GD&T tolerance analysis and DFMA principles.
Strong understanding of thermodynamics and heat-transfer fundamentals.
Familiarity with optics and fluidics interface considerations in complex systems.
Advanced proficiency in CAD and PLM systems.
Skilled in data analytics tools such as Excel Minitab and JMP; scripting experience (e.g. VBA/Python) is a plus.
Familiarity with ISO 13485 IEC 61010 and design control frameworks.
Proven ability to mentor and guide junior engineers on technical approaches and best practices.
Strong ability to communicate technical information clearly concisely and in a stakeholder-oriented manner.
Proven capability to anticipate manufacturability challenges and design for robustness and reliability.
Proven ability to evaluate technical trade-offs (COGS quality schedule) using data-driven decision-making.
Experience coaching engineers on analysis depth documentation quality and disciplined execution.

All listed requirements are deemed as essential functions to this position; however business conditions may require reasonable accommodations for additional task and responsibilities.

We are a company deeply rooted in belonging promoting an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to our mission. Built on a strong foundation Illumina has always prioritized openness collaboration and seeking alternative perspectives to propel innovation in genomics. We are proud to confirm a zero-net gap in pay regardless of gender ethnicity or race. We also have several Employee Resource Groups (ERG) that deliver career development experiences increase cultural awareness and offer opportunities to engage in social responsibility. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunity regardless of sex race creed color gender religion marital status domestic partner status age national origin or ancestry physical or mental disability medical condition sexual orientation pregnancy military or veteran status citizenship status and genetic information. Illumina conducts background checks on applicants for whom a conditional offer of employment has been made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable local state and federal laws. Background check results may potentially result in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment. The background check process and any decisions made as a result shall be made in accordance with all applicable local state and federal laws. Illumina prohibits the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the application and interview process. If you require accommodation to complete the application or interview process please contact To learn more visit: The position will be posted until a final candidate is selected or the requisition has a sufficient number of qualified applicants.