Mechanical Design Engineer

Your role

As our Mechanical Design Engineer, you will contribute to the design, development and continuous support & improvement of state‑of‑the‑art scientific instruments and prototype devices within the Scientific Instrumentation Workshops (SIW).

Working closely with researchers across EMBL, engineers, machinists and technicians, you will create production‑ready mechanical designs, coordinate component manufacture and support the successful delivery of scientific instrumentation.

Operating with a high level of autonomy, you will contribute to organisational objectives through technical expertise, effective collaboration and timely delivery of high‑quality engineering solutions.

• Your Responsibilities
• Design and develop mechanical components and assemblies for advanced scientific instrumentation.
• Analyse mechanical performance of designed components and assemblies using modelling and simulation tools to ensure technical requirements are met.
• Lead mechanical design reviews with researchers and project stakeholders to ensure technical feasibility and alignment with project objectives.
• Coordinate the manufacture of mechanical components with the Scientific Instrument Workshops and external suppliers
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with external suppliers to support the timely procurement of specialty components and engineering solutions.
• Test completed components and assemblies for compliance with design specifications, quality standards and performance requirements.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team members to integrate mechanical and electrical components into completed scientific instrument.
• Deliver completed assemblies and provide technical support throughout testing, implementation and continuous improvement activities.
• Your Capabilities
• You build productive relationships across multidisciplinary teams and contribute to the achievement of shared scientific and engineering objectives.
• You communicate complex technical information effectively, tailoring messages to researchers, engineers, workshop staff and other stakeholders.
• You exercise professional judgement, work with a high degree of autonomy and take responsibility for delivering high‑quality outcomes.
• Problem Solving: You apply critical thinking to complex technical challenges, evaluate alternative solutions and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• You respond positively to changing project requirements and priorities, demonstrate curiosity to learn new technologies and rapidly develop new knowledge and skills to support evolving project needs.

Skills, Experience And Qualifications

• Undergraduate or postgraduate qualification in mechanical engineering or related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
• Strong experience with CAD software (ideally Solidworks) for design and simulation
• Demonstrated experience designing, assembling and testing prototype instruments
• Demonstrated knowledge of manufacturing methods and material selection including metals, polymers, ceramics etc.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high‑quality outcomes within agreed timeframes.
• Excellent technical communication skills in English (C1).
• You may also have
• Experience with PDM
• Experience in any of the following fields of mechanical design: precision mechanisms,
• Hands‑on experience manufacturing parts using both conventional machining techniques (e. g. milling and turning) and digital manufacturing technologies (e. g. 3D printers and laser cutting).
• Knowledge of analytical and/or simulation tools to assess fluid flow and heat transfer in complex assemblies
• Experience managing CAD environments and supporting colleagues in the application of engineering design best practices
• Strong technical communication skills in German (B2)

• Don’t meet every single requirement?

We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and supportive workplace.

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply.

We'd love to hear from you.

This role welcomes candidates with different levels of experience and seniority.

Contract length: 3 years (renewable to a maximum of 9 years)

Salary: Grade 5 or 6; depending on qualifications and experience (monthly salary starting from 4.147,92 EUR net of tax, excluding health insurance and pension contributions, plus additional EMBL benefits)

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity‑driven, community‑oriented and international.

As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches.

We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation.

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves.

We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

• Enjoy Lots Of Benefits
• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, Monthly family, child and non‑resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long‑term care, accident‑at‑work and unemployment insurances
• Flexible working arrangements
• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays
• Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable)
• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (Heidelberg), library, subsidised on‑site cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances
• Benefits for international newcomers: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non‑resident allowance.
• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here
• What else you need to know
• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.
• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.
• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence.

We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

• Closing Date
• 18/09/2026
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