What are the responsibilities and job description for the Mechatronics Engineer position at SmileSet?
About the Company
SmileSet is on a mission to make high-quality dental care more affordable and accessible through technology. By combining digital workflows, AI-driven smile simulation, professional dental review, and direct-to-consumer delivery, SmileSet is transforming how people access aligners, retainers, and other custom dental solutions. We believe the future of dental care is smarter, faster, and more convenient—and we’re building the technology to bring that future home.
About the Role
Senior Mechatronics Engineer – Next Generation Dental Scanner
We are seeking a highly capable Mechatronics Engineer to help develop the next generation of our consumer dental scanner. This role is focused on the design and integration of hardware, optics and electronics for a consumer-facing medical/dental device. The ideal candidate is comfortable working across disciplines and can translate product requirements into robust, manufacturable designs.
Position Summary
The Mechatronics Engineer will play a key role in the development of a compact intraoral or near-intraoral scanning device intended for home use. This person will be responsible for designing, prototyping, testing, and refining the core device architecture, including mechanical components, optical layout, illumination, sensors, embedded electronics, and system integration. The role requires strong hands-on engineering ability and close collaboration with software, computer vision, manufacturing, and product teams.
Responsibilities
- Lead the design and development of hardware for a consumer dental scanning device
- Define and optimize overall electromechanical system architecture
- Design precision mechanical components, assemblies, and internal packaging for compact handheld products
- Develop and integrate optical subsystems, including cameras, lenses, illumination, filters, and projection elements
- Design and evaluate electronic subsystems, including sensor interfaces, control boards, power distribution, and connectivity components
- Select and integrate components such as image sensors, LEDs, lasers or structured-light projectors, drivers, flex cables, connectors, motors, and other electromechanical elements as needed
- Work closely with software and computer vision teams to ensure hardware supports image acquisition, calibration, reconstruction, and scanning performance targets
- Develop prototypes and conduct bench testing to validate performance, repeatability, accuracy, durability, and safety
- Create calibration, test, and characterization procedures for optics, mechanics, and electronics
- Troubleshoot system-level issues involving image quality, alignment, thermal behavior, mechanical tolerances, EMI, signal integrity, and manufacturability
- Drive design for manufacturability, assembly, reliability, serviceability, and cost
- Collaborate with suppliers and contract manufacturers on component selection, prototyping, tooling, and production readiness
- Prepare engineering documentation including requirements, design specifications, test plans, BOMs, assembly drawings, and validation reports
- Support regulatory and quality activities relevant to medical or dental devices, including risk analysis, traceability, and verification/validation documentation
Required Qualifications
- A degree in Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or a related field
- 5 years of experience developing electromechanical products, preferably compact devices or medical/consumer hardware
- Strong experience in mechanical design, including precision parts, assemblies, tolerance stack-up, and packaging constraints
- Experience with optical system integration, including cameras, illumination, lenses, filters, or imaging sensors
- Experience with electronics design and integration, including sensor interfaces, PCB-level considerations, power systems, and embedded hardware
- Hands-on prototyping and debugging experience across hardware subsystems
- Proficiency with CAD tools for mechanical design
- Ability to perform structured engineering analysis and translate requirements into practical design decisions
- Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team
Preferred Skills
- Experience with 3D imaging, structured light, stereo vision, or other optical scanning technologies
- Experience developing medical, dental, or regulated consumer devices
- Familiarity with calibration workflows for optical or imaging systems
- Experience with handheld device design, ergonomics, thermal management, and sealing
- Familiarity with embedded systems, microcontrollers, motor control, or FPGA-based image acquisition hardware
- Experience with component sourcing, supplier qualification, and manufacturing ramp
- Understanding of reliability testing, environmental testing, and failure analysis
- Familiarity with standards and processes relevant to regulated product development
What Success Looks Like
- Develops a robust hardware architecture for a next-generation home dental scanner
- Delivers prototypes that meet targets for accuracy, usability, reliability, and cost
- Successfully integrates mechanics, optics, and electronics into a manufacturable product
- Works effectively across hardware, software, vision, and manufacturing teams to move the device from concept to production
SmileSet is committed to diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.