Principal Systems Engineer

The Role

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of custom, first-of-kind manufacturing equipment across all process steps
• Make and execute build vs. buy decisions based on physics, economics, scalability, and long-term roadmap impact
• Work closely with process engineers to translate process needs into mechanical systems and use mechanical design to unlock new process regimes
• Apply a systems-engineering mindset to track linked requirements, interfaces, and downstream consequences of design decisions
• Drive rapid iteration: prototype, test, fail, learn, and deploy on short timelines
• Define equipment architectures that support automation, reliability, maintainability, and future facility scale-out
• Communicate complex, multidisciplinary technical decisions clearly to engineers and executive leadership
• Help establish best practices for in-house equipment development, CAD practices, documentation, and commissioning
• Over time, help recruit, mentor, and lead a growing mechanical engineering and equipment team

Qualifications

• Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply for this role. We value curiosity, problem-solving skills, and strong fundamentals.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related field
• Strong CAD, GD&T and DFM skills
• 5+ Years of designing and building complex equipment or vehicle systems
• Deep first-principles understanding across multiple physics domains, including: Thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics Mechanics, dynamics, and machine design Control systems and basic programming Materials science (metals, polymers, ceramics), fracture mechanics, surface engineering, and wetting
• Thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics
• Mechanics, dynamics, and machine design
• Control systems and basic programming
• Materials science (metals, polymers, ceramics), fracture mechanics, surface engineering, and wetting
• Strong physics intuition and the habit of questioning assumptions and requirements
• Systems-level thinking with the ability to reason across tightly coupled disciplines
• Excel working in fast-moving startup environments with high ownership and ambiguity
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Have direct experience leading structured stage-gated Systems Engineering Technical Review (SETR) or similar processes on accelerated timelines in startup environments.
• Fabri does not provide visa sponsorship for this position. To comply with ITAR regulations, candidates for this role must be US nationals (i.e., US citizens or lawful permanent residents) to be considered.

Preferred Skills

• Experience designing systems that have to operate at ultra high temperatures, high pressures, high vacuum levels, and/or handle corrosive, molten, or cryogenic fluids
• Background in manufacturing equipment, or alternatively aerospace systems such as propulsion, turbomachinery, vacuum systems, or flight structures
• Experience scaling hardware systems for throughput, reliability, and cost
• Demonstrated ability to move from concept to working hardware quickly
• Experience using meshing and simulation tools to validate equipment designs

What We Offer

• A central role in reshoring and reindustrializing critical U.S. manufacturing capability
• High ownership in solving some of the hardest problems in advanced manufacturing and industrial automation of the US’ most critical supply chains
• Direct influence on Fabri’s long-term economics, scalability, and facility architecture
• Close collaboration with leadership and cross-functional engineering teams
• Competitive salary, meaningful equity, and significant growth potential