Waters Corporation is seeking a highly skilled Senior Sustaining Engineer to become a key contributor to our Development Engineering Team of Light Scattering Instruments in Goleta, California. This role is to lead product improvement initiatives and provide advance technical support across manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and customer service functions. In this role, you will guide a team of engineers to ensure the long term performance, reliability, and sustainability of our advanced light scattering products. This position is ideal for a hands-on engineering leader who excels at problem solving, driving cross functional alignment, and optimizing complex products throughout their lifecycle.

• Product Improvement: 
  • Drive continuous improvement projects of light scattering instruments by enhancing performance, quality, and reliability through data driven analysis and innovative engineering solutions.
  • Lead the design, validation, and release of precision mechanical components — creating robust drawings, specifications, test cases, and prototypes that ensure high performance, manufacturability, and reliability of analytical instruments.
• Lifecycle & Change Management: 
  • Own engineering documentation and change management processes across R&D, pre-production, and post‑production phases.
  • Develop and review engineering change orders (ECOs) and documentation to support design updates and product lifecycle transitions
• Cross‑Functional Operational Support: 
  • Provide advance technical guidance to Manufacturing and Quality teams to troubleshoot and resolve production and field issues.
  • Lead engineering evaluations for alternate components, redesigns, and risk‑mitigation strategies to ensure supply continuity and operational efficiency.
• Cost & Efficiency Optimization: 
  • Identify and execute cost‑reduction opportunities in materials, processes, and product design without compromising performance or quality.
  • Drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM) - coordinating with Quality department and suppliers to refine designs, reduce complexity, and improve yield.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics, or related discipline.
• 5+ years of engineering experience in a production, manufacturing, or product-sustaining environment.
• Proficiency in CAD and/or ECAD tools, engineering documentation, and PLM systems.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and product development methodologies.
• Strong hands‑on ability in prototype assembly, testing, and experimental system development.
• Excellent project management, communication, and organizational skills with a strong ability to collaborate across teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience supporting reliability engineering and sustainability practices for analytical or scientific instrumentation.
• Strong mechanical design knowledge, including GD&T, tolerance stack up, and surface treatments.
• Familiarity with PCB fabrication and assembly processes.
• Experience supporting supply chain strategy, alternate component qualification, and working with global/offshore suppliers.

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of ~16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide. 

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our core values at Waters Corporation. It benefits our employees, our products, our customers and our community. Waters complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Waters is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.