Mechanical Designer/Machinist

Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) has an immediate opening for a Mechanical Designer/Machinist at our Headquarters in Waimea (Kamuela), Hawaiʻi, USA. We are looking for someone with 10 years of experience in mechanical design and a solid hands-on foundation in machining and fabrication.

CFHT offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, and a generous benefit package that includes medical/dental insurance, 21 days paid vacation, family medical/parental leave, a defined-contribution retirement plan, and tuition support for dependent minors.

Your essential set of duties will be to:

• Lead projects through their full lifecycle, from conceptual design to installation, validation, and documentation.
• Collaborate with our mechanical engineers and technical staff to develop complete system designs, providing expertise on manufacturability.
• Create and/or modify 2D and 3D CAD models and drawings and prepare shop-ready drawings for fabrication.
• Stay up-to-date on industry standards and best practices in order to be an active and valued participant in design reviews and for improving existing systems.
• Modify and update existing, older systems, potentially without technical drawings or documentation.
• Maintain accurate documentation and file recordkeeping for all projects and systems.
• Effectively communicate and interact with technical staff, outside contractors, suppliers, and vendors.
• Understand, diagnose, and help solve existing or potential design problems.
• Take the initiative to present ways to make things safer, better, easier, "cooler".
• Provide off-hours support, including occasional weekends and holidays, both remotely and on-site at CFHT Headquarters and the CFHT Observatory on Maunakea.
• Support the objectives of the company, including, chiefly, providing outstanding astronomical scientific data to our worldwide community of scientists.

To be successful in this position, you should have at least 10 years of experience in mechanical design, including computer-aided design (CAD), and:

• Associate's degree or vocational training in mechanical design, machining, drafting, or a closely related field.
• 5 years of experience with computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). CFHT uses Mastercam, but other CAM experience counts as well.

While this is primarily a mechanical design position, hands-on experience with fabrication skills such as machining - both manual and CNC - and welding is highly desirable.

In addition to your technical skills and abilities, it is expected that you will be:

• Of upstanding character: trustworthy, dependable, committed, and able to maintain confidentiality as needed.
• Highly motivated, of friendly demeanor, with a strong desire to be creative and have fun.
• Respectful of the diversity of the company, both in terms of people and opinions, and the local community of which it is a part.
• Willing, as needed, to provide on-call support during astronomical observations, which take place during the overnight hours every day of the year.
• Willing, as needed, to travel to the observatory location at the summit of Maunakea (~13,800 ft / 4,200 m) to fulfill your duties.
• Willing to participate in other projects and activities as assigned.

Ongoing professional development is key to being successful. If you are not already in possession of the following, we expect you will, over the course of your career at CFHT:

• Gain experience in SolidWorks and Mastercam.
• Gain hands-on experience working with machine tools.
• Gain hands-on experience with welding and other forms of fabrication.
• Gain experience participating in design reviews and presenting to your colleagues.

If you've made it this far, we say 'mahalo' for your interest in working at CFHT! There are a couple of things we'd like you to know:

Remote Work Policy

CFHT offers partially-remote work options to qualified employees for some positions. However, the Mechanical Designer/Machinist position requires on-site presence at CFHT Headquarters and is not eligible for remote work.

Observatory Location & Hiring Practices

CFHT is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO), and all qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. Federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.

Multicultural Practices

CFHT is located on the island of Hawaiʻi (also known as 'The Big Island'), and the observatory is located on Maunakea. Maunakea is culturally significant to the Native Hawaiian people, and CFHT conducts all operations with the utmost respect for our historic and unique location. All CFHT employees are expected to treat Maunakea with respect and to acknowledge the privileged position they hold while being present on Maunakea.