Senior Cryogenic & Mechanical Systems Engineer
Senior engineer owning the cryogenic, thermal and mechanical architecture of Qilimanjaro's superconducting quantum computers in Barcelona: defining thermal budgets, CAD/mechanical integration around dilution refrigerators, site-readiness checklists and cooldown/maintenance procedures, plus mentoring junior engineers. Key tools: CAD (Inventor/SolidWorks/CATIA), thermal analysis, Python/COMSOL.
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Barcelona
- Work setup
- Hybrid
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Software engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- MSc, PhD or equivalent professional experience in Mechanical/Cryogenic Engineering, Applied Physics, Thermal/Aerospace Engineering or related field
- 5+ years of experience with complex cryogenic, vacuum, thermal, mechanical or scientific-instrumentation systems
- Strong understanding of heat loads, thermalization, material selection, mechanical constraints, vibration, routing and maintainability
- Hands-on experience with CAD and mechanical design for real hardware systems
- Ability to create thermal budgets, mechanical integration plans, installation constraints and acceptance criteria
- Experience debugging physical systems where thermal, mechanical, electrical and operational effects interact
- Strong documentation habits: design packages, assembly guides, maintenance procedures, cooldown logs, site-readiness documents, lessons learned
- Ability to mentor junior engineers and raise the team's engineering maturity
- Strong English communication skills
Nice to have
- Experience with dilution refrigerators, cryogenic measurement setups, superconducting devices or quantum hardware
- Experience with cryogenic cabling, attenuators, filters, thermal anchoring, IR shielding, sample boxes, chip carriers or superconducting interconnects
- Experience with Inventor, SolidWorks, Fusion, CATIA or similar CAD tools
- Experience working with external mechanical workshops, cryostat vendors or infrastructure providers
- Experience with installation of scientific equipment at external sites
- Python, COMSOL or other simulation/analysis tools for thermal or mechanical studies
- Familiarity with safety procedures for cryogens, vacuum systems, pressure systems, heavy equipment or laboratory infrastructure
- Experience in startup or deep-tech environments
Full description
About Qilimanjaro
Qilimanjaro is building full-stack superconducting quantum computing systems, combining QPUs, cryogenic infrastructure, control electronics, racks, cabling, instrumentation, software and deployment infrastructure. Our Systems & Engineering division turns quantum processors into complete, reliable and scalable quantum computers.
We are looking for a senior technical owner for the cryogenic, thermal and mechanical foundation of our quantum systems. This is not a junior mechanical drafting role or a general lab-support role. It is a high-impact systems-engineering position for someone who can define cryomechanical architectures, create thermal and mechanical design rules, debug complex physical systems, and make future setups reproducible, maintainable and scalable.
Role Mission
Own the cryogenic, thermal and mechanical architecture of Qilimanjaro quantum setups, ensuring that systems can be designed, installed, cooled down, diagnosed, maintained and scaled with engineering discipline.
Why this role matters
As Qilimanjaro systems scale, the physical infrastructure around the QPU becomes one of the main determinants of system reliability and repeatability. Thermal budgets, cryogenic wiring, mechanical routing, site readiness, cooldown behavior, thermalization, shielding and maintenance procedures all affect whether a setup can move from a one-off laboratory system to a repeatable quantum-computing platform.
This person will become the senior reference for questions such as:
- Can this setup be built, cooled down and maintained safely?
- Is the thermal budget compatible with the QPU and wiring architecture?
- Are the mechanical constraints understood before procurement and installation?
- Are site-readiness requirements explicit enough for internal and client deployments?
- Can we diagnose whether a problem comes from cryogenics, mechanical integration, routing, thermalization, packaging, electronics or the QPU?
- Can junior engineers execute common cryogenic and mechanical procedures safely and consistently?
Main ownership areas
- Cryogenic integration of quantum computing setups.
- Thermal budgets from room temperature to MXC.
- Mechanical integration inside and around dilution refrigerators.
- CAD models, routing constraints, custom parts, brackets, fixtures, thermalization pieces and mechanical interfaces.
- Site-readiness requirements, including space, floor plan, water, power, grounding, compressed air, safety and installation constraints.
- Cooldown engineering, maintenance plans, intervention procedures and setup health checks.