Reports to: Sr. Manager of Capital Manufacturing and System Integration
Workplace Type: Onsite
Capstan Medical:
Capstan Medical is a Series C funded company aiming to commercialize a robotic platform for delivering structural heart implants. We focus on cultivating cutting edge technology centered on patient value. Our team is highly collaborative and hands-on, takes pride in iterating quickly, and believes that the best ideas can come from anywhere or any person! We always have multiple programs in the pipeline, so as a small team, we tend to wear multiple hats on a daily basis.
Capstan Medical is uniquely positioned in Santa Cruz, which we have chosen to be geographically close-to but intentionally separate from the greater SF Bay Area. This gives us access to the amazing technical talent of the Bay Area but in an environment that we feel is conducive to doing our best creative work. Our office is located in a repurposed warehouse space that used to be the Wrigley Gum factory, now the funky/diverse home to several bicycle companies, many art and architecture studios, a maker space, and several biotech startups. It is adjacent to large tracts of open space with bicycle trails straight from the office doors offering access to the hills and beaches of Wilder Ranch State Park for road/mountain bicycle riding, hiking, and surfing.
Currently, our active programs at Capstan Medical target catheter-based, repair devices for diseases that affect the heart. These kinds of devices present patients with compelling, minimally invasive alternatives to traditional surgical methods. For most patients, this means less pain after surgery and being able to return to normal life much more quickly. For many older patients, reducing surgical trauma can make the difference between life and death. Our current strength is in micro-scale mechanical medical devices on the cutting edge of medicine but we are constantly evolving. The team has a collective background designing a wide variety of medical devices including cardiac devices, catheter-based devices, collapsible implants, surgical tools and robotic systems.
Come join us and become part of a team revolutionizing heart valve treatment!
The Role:
As a Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Robot, you will own debugging, testing, and process improvement activities during all phases of robotic system manufacturing – from sub-assemblies (eg. actuator stack) through full system integration. You will apply cross-disciplinary expertise in mechanical, electrical, and software to ensure reliable builds, effective test coverage, and scalable processes. You will thrive in analyzing data to drive decisions. You will also influence fixture design, mentor junior engineers, and partner closely with design and software teams to ensure manufacturability and reliability at every stage.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead troubleshooting of complex failures across actuator stacks, brakes, sensors, PCBs, power, and motion modules
- Drive root cause investigations using structured methods (5 Whys, DMAIC, Fishbone)
- Develop, own, and execute end-of-line testing for robotic assemblies
- Implement corrective actions in collaboration with design and quality teams
- Lead design and qualification of fixtures
- Develop, document, and refine MPIs and test procedures
- Drive continuous improvements by tracking KPIs such as yield, reliability, and cycle time
- Analyze build/test data using scripting tools (eg. Python) to identify trends and anomalies
- Influence firmware/software teams to implement diagnostic hooks and manufacturing-friendly features
- Mentor junior engineers and technicians in debugging, problem solving, and best practices
- Provide DFM/DFT feedback early in product development
- Partner with R&D, Quality, and Production teams to improve manufacturability and reliability of robotic systems
- Participate in design transfer and manufacturing readiness activities for new robot features and design changes
- Support Design Verification and Validation (V&V) activities
What You’ll Need:
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field
- Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in manufacturing engineering, system integration or reliability engineering for complex electro-mechanical products (robotics, medical devices, or similar)
- Proven expertise in debugging and integrating mechanical, electrical and software subsystems
- Hands-on experience with electro-mechanical assemblies, PCBs, actuators, motors, and sensors
- Strong scripting and data analysis skills (Python, MATLAB, or similar)
- Experience with CAD (SolidWorks or similar) for fixture/tooling design
- Demonstrated success leading root cause investigations and implementing design/process fixes
- Experience designing, commissioning, and validating manufacturing fixtures and test equipment
- Familiarity with medical device regulations (eg. ISO 13485) strongly preferred
- Excellent communication and documentation skills
- Comfortable leading cross-functional teams
- Hands-on, detail-oriented, and able to work independently in a fast-paced environment
- Eagerness to learn and push the envelop to bring a novel surgical robotic platform to market
Why Join Us:
- We offer a fun, fast-paced, collaborative environment where you will be working on transformational technologies in the cardiac healthcare space that can make a meaningful impact for patients
- We offer outstanding benefits with medical, dental, and vision covered at 100% for you and your family, as well as flex time off
- We thrive in our work-hard, play-hard environment. Bring your bike or running shoes if you’d like or just be ready to enjoy a fun office outing. We enjoy time inside the office and out!
We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and disability, or other legally protected status.