---
title: 'Principal Mechanical Engineer at Sarmal Inc'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-mechanical-engineer-sarmal-inc-san-diego-rc7g03tfamk1'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Principal Mechanical Engineer at Sarmal Inc

- **Company:** Sarmal Inc
- **Location:** San Diego, CA
- **Compensation:** $165k–$200k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-13
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/sarmal-inc/846dfbee-9e5c-4993-8bfc-5b17ea81ba1f

## Job description

Company Overview Sarmal, Inc. is a San Diego–based biotechnology company developing next-generation genomics and molecular detection platforms. Our work integrates molecular biology, chemistry, and advanced systems engineering to enable faster, more precise, and more accessible genomic insights.

We are a highly collaborative, R&D-driven team operating in a fast-paced, early-stage environment. Our scientists and engineers work across disciplines to solve complex technical challenges and translate innovation into scalable, real-world applications.

At Sarmal, we value scientific rigor, curiosity, and a builder mindset. We are looking for individuals who are energized by ambiguity, motivated by impact, and excited to help bring breakthrough technologies from concept to reality.

## About the Job

We are seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer to serve as instrument lead for our point-of-care molecular diagnostic platform, owning the mechanical and electromechanical architecture from concept through product launch.

This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role. You will personally drive the design of both the instrument and its custom consumable, set the technical direction for outsourced design partners and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), and establish the engineering practices that a growing internal hardware team will build on. The role operates with a high degree of independence, with the opportunity to scope and grow internal engineering capability as the platform matures. This is an on-site position based in San Diego, California.

## Key Responsibilities

- Translate assay, biological, and user requirements into robust mechanical and electromechanical hardware architectures; define product requirements and subsystem specifications for fluidics-based instrumentation.

- Serve as the technical lead for instrument development from concept through design transfer, product launch, and sustaining support.

- Lead and support the design and integration of fluidic components, motion and actuation systems, thermal modules, optical interfaces, and the mechatronic and electrical systems that tie them together.

- Lead the design of custom consumables and disposable cartridges, including fluidic routing, valving, sealing, and the registration and alignment mechanisms that define the instrument-to-consumable interface.

- Develop precise thermal modules for amplification and thermal cycling, heating and cooling management, and automated motion systems.

- Perform hands-on design and build of breadboard systems, functional prototypes, and reliability test stations.

- Apply analysis methods such as FEA, CFD, GD&T, and tolerance stack-up analysis to guide and de-risk designs.

- Own and manage outsourced design partnerships, CDMOs, and key technology vendors, including scope definition, design reviews, milestone acceptance, and technical escalation.

- Drive DFM and DFA across injection molding, machining, joining, and automated assembly processes, and support pilot builds and transfer to manufacturing.

- Define and support design verification testing at the system and subsystem level, including reliability, durability, and environmental testing.

- Author and maintain design inputs and outputs, risk analyses, and design history file content as the platform advances from research use toward a regulated in vitro diagnostic product.

- Drive alignment with molecular biology, assay development, software, and manufacturing counterparts; mentor engineers and help define the internal hardware function as the team grows.

## Qualifications

Required Qualifications

- Proven track record of designing reliable electro-mechanical, fluidic, optical and thermal systems throughout the product development life cycle, from concept to product launch to sustaining support

- Experience with designs for fluidically driven systems, preferably for microfluidic applications in the life science, molecular diagnostic, or point-of-care fields

- Demonstrated experience designing or supporting custom consumables and their associated registration and alignment mechanisms

- Working fluency across fluidic, optical, mechatronic, and electrical systems sufficient to own system-level architecture and integration decisions

- Proven track record with design for manufacturability, with a working understanding of a variety of manufacturing processes including injection molding, machining, and automated assembly

- Fluency in SolidWorks CAD, with strong command of GD&T and tolerance stack-up analysis

- Strong collaboration skills and demonstrated experience directing vendors, outsource design partners, and CDMOs, with accountability for their technical deliverables

- Comfort operating as a hands-on individual contributor in an early-stage environment, with the judgment to determine what to build internally versus outsource

- Excellent written and oral communication skills

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience applying FEA and CFD tools to thermal, fluid, and structural analysis

- Experience developing medical devices or in vitro diagnostics under FDA design controls and ISO 13485, and/or familiarity with cGMP manufacturing environments

- Experience with point-of-care or near-patient instrument constraints, including size, cost, usability, and robustness outside of a laboratory setting

- Experience with nucleic acid amplification instrumentation (PCR or isothermal) or automated sample preparation

- Experience with manufacturing systems and workflows, pilot production, and design transfer

- Experience mentoring engineers or standing up an internal engineering function

Education & Experience B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field with 12+ years of industry experience within product development or new product introduction organizations. An equivalent combination of education and directly applicable industry experience will also be considered.

## Benefits & Perks

Sarmal offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, including:

- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Company-paid life insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Generous paid time off
- Access to additional voluntary benefits, employee perks, and discount programs
- We are committed to supporting the well-being of our employees and providing a strong foundation for both professional and personal success.

## Why Join Sarmal

Work on cutting-edge genomics and molecular detection technologies Collaborate with a deeply technical, cross-functional team Contribute to foundational platform development at an early stage Have visibility into and impact on core technical and strategic decisions Help shape the infrastructure, culture, and future direction of the company Closing Statement Join us in advancing the next generation of genomic technologies and shaping the future of precision health.

## About Sarmal Inc

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Sarmal is a San Diego-based genomics company developing next-generation innovations in advanced nucleic acid sequencing and target sequence detection.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Venture Capital-Backed; Latest Deal Type: Series A1)
- **Headquarters**: San Diego, California, United States (9310 Athena Circle, Suite 250, La Jolla, CA 92037)
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Inanc Ortac (CEO, Founder, CSO)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Biotechnology / Genomics
- **Target Customers**: B2B (healthcare and research sectors)
- **Mission/Purpose**: To develop breakthrough technologies in advanced nucleic acid sequencing and nucleic acid-based detection, making genetic analysis and molecular testing fast, accessible, and cost-effective.

## Products & Services
- **FLASH Sequencing Platform**: A single-molecule DNA sequencing technology that can achieve unlimited read lengths, enabling whole-genome sequencing with low-cost devices and low error rates.
- **TEEM Target Detection Platform**: A portable, field-deployable nucleic acid-based diagnostic platform for molecular testing.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly available (latest round: Series A1)
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding of $5M (Series A1, closed January 2026)
- **Notable Investors**: BUBA Ventures, MENE Ventures
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount has grown 300% year-over-year to 14 employees; active job postings (2 open roles as of latest data); has filed 7 patents, with one granted in August 2024 for "Methods for single molecule sequencing."

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary Technology**: The FLASH Sequencing Platform’s ability to achieve unlimited read lengths is a significant differentiator in the genomics field, potentially enabling lower-cost, more comprehensive genome sequencing.
- **Interdisciplinary Team**: Combines expertise across biology, chemistry, engineering, and software to build transformative genomic technologies.
- **Patent Portfolio**: 7 patents filed, providing intellectual property protection for core technologies.

## Strategic Focus
- **Current Priority**: Scaling the team and advancing both the FLASH Sequencing and TEEM Target Detection platforms from R&D toward commercialization.
- **Direction**: To transform genomics by making whole-genome sequencing accessible and field-deployable diagnostics a reality.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: A small, entrepreneurial R&D team (14 people) focused on breakthrough innovation. The team brings together interdisciplinary expertise, offering a hands-on, high-impact environment.
- **Work Policy**: All current job postings (Associate Director - Microbiology, Test Engineer 2, Procurement Specialist, Research Associate II, Scientist/Sr. Scientist, Staff Sci, RA II/Sr. RA) are listed as **On-site** in San Diego. No remote or hybrid options are currently advertised.
- **Notable Perks**: The company uses AI tools to support the hiring process but emphasizes that final hiring decisions are made by humans. The small team size suggests significant ownership and visibility across projects.
- **Engineering Culture**: Strong focus on cutting-edge science in a startup environment; employees come from companies like Encodia, Ansa Biotechnologies, and TriLink BioTechnologies.

## Sources
1. [LinkedIn - Sarmal Inc](https://linkedin.com/company/sarmal-inc)
2. [Sarmal Careers Page (Lever)](https://jobs.lever.co/sarmal-inc)
3. [CB Insights - Sarmal](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/sarmal)
4. [PitchBook - Sarmal Company Profile](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/593263-63)
5. [The Org - Sarmal, Inc.](https://theorg.com/org/sarmal-inc)

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