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Product Development Engineer I (HW)

Picarro
Santa Clara, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 11/19/2025 CLOSED ON 12/18/2025

What are the responsibilities and job description for the Product Development Engineer I (HW) position at Picarro?

Product Development Engineer I at Picarro

Santa Clara, CA

The Opportunity

We are seeking a highly skilled and energetic engineer to contribute to the development of our next-generation spectroscopy platform and gas measurement products.

Picarro's products deliver real-time measurements of critical gases at parts-per-billion and parts-per-trillion levels. As a Development Engineer, you will join a world-class team of engineers working with Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy (CRDS) and broadband lasers to achieve best-in-class precision and performance. This is an exceptional career development opportunity to join a well-funded and growing company. The position reports to the Director of Opto-Mechanical Engineering.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a hands-on engineer, passionate about problem-solving and eager to learn all aspects of our systems. They will rise to the challenge of building new systems for the first time and solving problems on their feet. This individual will be the first to assemble completely new systems, isolate problems, propose solutions, and collaborate with the engineering team to improve the system. The right person has a can-do attitude, is eager to learn everything from optics to mechanics to electronics to coding and spectroscopy and is dedicated to building world-class products and shepherding them into manufacturing. They thrive in a collaborative environment where they can learn and teach. In short, they want to be challenged and have a significant impact on the future of the company.

Key Responsibilities

Implement advanced electro-optomechanical designs for Picarro's next generation CRDS systems including first time assembly of new designs, development and documentation of new assembly processes, supporting engineering pilot builds, training technicians, transferring to manufacturing. Bring up and create new tooling stations and improvise solutions on the fly and work with engineering to create permanent implementations.

Technical Expertise:

  • Hands-On Engineering: Be a hands-on engineering individual contributor and technical expert for the development and manufacturing of high-precision, high-performing micro-optomechanical systems.
  • Optical Component Expertise: Demonstrate familiarity or be ready to learn about near-infrared optical components such as lasers, detectors, isolators, and coated optics.
  • Technical Proficiency: Be ready to learn micro-bench optics, active/passive alignment processes, and maintain mechanical tolerances at micron levels.
  • Modern Attachment Techniques: Have knowledge of or be ready to learn about modern optical attachment techniques, including UV/thermal epoxies, soldering, and laser welding, to improve manufacturability and reliability.
  • Reliability Testing and Analysis: Be ready to learn about testing and analysis and to take charge of reliability testing, reporting and mitigation of problems.
  • Emerging Technologies: Engage in continual learning and eventually become an expert in spectroscopy and spectroscopic instruments.
  • Tool Design and Build: The idea candidate will have a passion for engineering and will be encouraged to learn new engineering design tools and participate progressively more in deep engineering design work as your career progresses.
  • Technical Standards: Be detail oriented, willing to go the extra mile to make sure that systems and processes are well documented and willing to own problems.

Qualifications And Experience

  • BS in Physics, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, a related field or equivalent experience.
  • 1-3 years of technical experience.
  • Demonstrated understanding and familiarity with optics, mechanics, electronics, and software subsystems.
  • Familiarity with engineering design tools for mechanics, optics, and electronics.
  • Proven track record of accomplishment and passion for engineering
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt to changing priorities and requirements

Preferred Qualifications

  • Demonstrated passion for engineering at the cross roads between research and product development.

The salary range for this role is $95K to $110K. Our total compensation packages includes base salary, bonus eligibility, and equity.

About Picarro

Picarro, Inc. is empowering the world with timely, trusted, and actionable data for environmental monitoring. Our innovative technologies are at the forefront of detecting and managing emissions, ensuring safe and sustainable operations, helping industries comply with regulatory standards and improve air quality. Our trace gas and stable isotope analysis solutions are based on patented cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) technology, and offer unparalleled precision, ease of use, and reliability. Picarro solutions are used in a wide variety of scientific and industrial applications including atmospheric science, air quality, greenhouse gas measurements, gas leak detection, food safety, hydrology, ecology, and more. The company's products are designed and manufactured at its headquarters in Santa Clara, California and exported to countries worldwide.

Honors awarded the Company include the World Economic Forum Technology Innovation Pioneer, IHS CERA Energy Innovation Pioneer, the U.S. Department of Energy Small Business of the Year, the TiE50 Winner and the Red Herring Global 100 Winner.

Key investors include Benchmark Capital Partners, Greylock Management Corporation, Duff, Ackerman & Goodrich, Stanford University, Focus Ventures, Mingxin China Growth Ltd., NTT Finance and Weston Presidio Capital.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status, gender identity, social orientation, nor on the basis of disability.

Posted positions are not open to third party recruiters/agencies and unsolicited resume submissions will be considered free referrals.

Salary : $95,000 - $110,000

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