Vacancy

Mechanical Automation Engineer

Delft
On-site
32 to 40 hours
Production and scale up
€3,000 to €4,400 gross per month

Careers

Work you can be proud of

Litter is a growing problem that puts serious strain on our living environment. At Plastilose, we tackle it by developing innovative, biodegradable materials that can replace plastics. With a multidisciplinary team of researchers and entrepreneurs, we are building a circular future, one where residual waste no longer pollutes but gets a second life as a valuable resource. We work in a dynamic environment where research, product development and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. We are looking for a Mechanical Automation Engineer who will help imagine, design and build our first production line with their own hands. From sketching the line architecture to assembling the fixtures on the shop floor.

What your day as a Mechanical Automation Engineer at Plastilose looks like

After a great coffee or tea from the barista at our coffee corner, you start your day in our welcoming office. You kick off with a short team check in: what worked yesterday, what are we testing today and which bottlenecks need attention? Then you head into the production area. You check yesterday’s prototype on the workbench, take a few measurements and sketch out the layout of the next fixture on the whiteboard together with Engineering and R&D. No two days are the same. One day you are in the workshop assembling and aligning a frame, the next you are at your laptop working on a CAD design, a bill of materials or the specifications for suppliers. Some days you dive into the controls to connect sensors or a PLC step to the mechanics. Around lunchtime you enjoy your own lunch or grab something fresh from the food court on the ground floor, or you take a brisk walk across campus to clear your head. The inspiring surroundings always leave you with new energy. You wrap up the day with a real sense of accomplishment: you have once again contributed to a circular future where waste is not an endpoint, but the start of something new. To round things off, you drop by the “Out of Office Gym” for a bit. After that you take a relaxed drive home via the A4, or you reach Delft station within 15 minutes. Either way, you are back home quickly and easily.

What you will be working on

As a Mechanical Automation Engineer at Plastilose, you are responsible for conceiving, designing and building our first production line. You work closely with the microbiologists in our lab and our industrial designers, translating what we learn in the lab into a scalable, robust setup on the shop floor.

Conceptualizing the production line as a whole: line architecture, material flows and the layout of workstations.
Designing mechanical systems in CAD (SolidWorks or equivalent), such as fixtures, frames, tanks, conveyors and transport mechanisms.
Building prototypes and final installations hands on on the shop floor: assembling them yourself, milling where needed and aligning everything until it works.
Iterating between design and reality: turning what you learn in the lab and on the shop floor into improvements to the mechanical design.
Integrating automation and controls (PLC/IO, sensors and actuators) where the line calls for it, as the finishing touch to the mechanical design rather than a goal in itself.
Creating technical specifications, CAD drawings, bills of materials (BOM) and maintenance instructions.
Managing supplier relationships: selecting, specifying, optimizing and quality assuring the parts and machines that are delivered.
Ensuring compliance with safety requirements, machine safety and relevant production and workplace regulations.

Your strengths, what we love to see

You are just as happy drawing in CAD as you are out on the shop floor with a wrench in your hand. You feel at home in the workshop and at the drawing board, and you think in terms of the whole production line (flow, bottlenecks, maintainability) rather than just individual parts. You like to roll up your sleeves and prefer to prove your designs with a working prototype on the shop floor. Collaboration comes naturally to you. You believe in the power of multidisciplinary teams and know how to turn that collaboration into tangible results. This is how you directly support our mission: drastically reducing pollution from single use plastics by developing high quality, biodegradable products made from waste streams.

You have completed a Bachelor or Master degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related mechanical field, or you have a comparable background (Mechatronics, Systems Engineering).
Demonstrable experience designing and building machines, (pilot) production lines or complex mechanical setups, preferably end to end, from sketch to working installation.
Skilled in CAD (SolidWorks, Inventor or equivalent) as well as hands on workshop skills: assembly, alignment and basic operations on a lathe, milling machine or welder.
A systems thinker: you grasp the production line as a whole (material flows, bottlenecks, maintainability) and keep the bigger picture in mind while working in the details.
A hands on mindset: you are willing to step away from the plan when a quick test is needed, and you enjoy being on the shop floor.
You can work in a structured, project based way, and are strong at planning and prioritizing while keeping an eye on technology, timelines and budget.
Strong communication skills: you coordinate smoothly with R&D, suppliers and production staff.
Solution oriented, pragmatic and quality driven, you think in terms of robust, low maintenance solutions.
Experience with PLC programming, IO integration and sensor technology is a strong plus.
Experience scaling lab processes up to pilot or small scale production is also a strong plus.

What we offer

The chance to help build a promising startup with real societal impact from the very start.
A hands on, multidisciplinary team where your technical choices are immediately visible in both product and production.
Room for initiative, ownership in design choices and personal development.
A gross monthly salary between €3,000 and €4,400 based on a 40 hour week, depending on your experience and expertise.
An inspiring workplace where sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship come together.
Access to a modern gym to help you stay fit and energized.

Ready to make an impact?

Do you see yourself in this role and want to help build a sustainable factory that addresses plastic pollution? Send your CV and motivation to careers@plastilose.nl and who knows, you might soon be building our first production line with us.