Mechanical Engineer (TE-VSC-BVO-2025-33-GRAE)

Job Description

Are you ready to contribute to one of the most advanced vacuum systems in the world? With 130 km of state-of-the-art vacuum vessels, CERN operates one of the largest and most complex vacuum systems ever created. If you are motivated by the challenge of pushing the boundaries of science and technology, this is your opportunity to make a significant impact.

In this role, you will become part of the Vacuum, Surfaces, and Coatings (VSC) Group, a leader in CERN's groundbraking technological research. This group oversees all high and ultra-high vacuum systems across CERN’s accelerators, managing everything from design and operation to surface engineering and acceptance testing.

The Beam Vacuum Operation (BVO) section ensures the seamless operation and continuous enhancement of the vacuum equipment essential to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the most powerful particle accelerator ever built. This includes maintaining systems that enable hadron beams to circulate through superconducting magnets and detectors.

Your responsibilities

As a Mechanical Engineer within the Beam Vacuum Operation section, you will join the Experimental Vacuum team, which is responsible for parts of the beam vacuum system supporting four key interaction points: the ATLAS, ALICE, CMS, and LHCb experiments.

Your primary responsibilities will include:

• Designing complex and highly specialised equipment compatible with ultra-high vacuum conditions. This includes creating geometric models and conducting engineering simulations to ensure compliance with structural, thermal, modal, and vacuum operational requirements.
• Testing prototypes to validate design efficiency and implementing necessary modifications to guarantee system reliability and performance.
• Overseeing the production, installation, and commissioning of the beam vacuum system.
• Conducting vacuum laboratory studies to validate both partially and fully assembled components. This includes testing materials for their compatibility with vacuum environments, with a focus on outgassing rates and thermal characteristics.
• Contributing to activities within the LHC tunnel and experimental caverns.
• Actively participating in multidisciplinary projects that require close collaboration with teams responsible for other accelerator systems and engineering disciplines.

Your profile

Skills

Engineering Software:

• Demonstrated experience using ANSYS for engineering simulations and analysis in vacuum system design.
• Proven track record of applying CAD software (CATIA, Autodesk Inventor, or SolidWorks) to develop detailed 3D models.

Ultra-High Vacuum:

• Extensive hands-on experience with precision mechanics in ultra-high vacuum environments.
• Proven expertise in designing ultra-high vacuum assemblies.

Quality Control and Production:

• Demonstrated experience in production processes for ultra-high vacuum components.
• Proficiency in implementing and maintaining quality control procedures.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English, with the willingness to learn French at CERN.

Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• By the application deadline, you have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in Mechanical Engineering (or a related field) and your highest educational qualification is either a Bachelor's or Master's degree.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.
• Applicants without University degree are not eligible.
• Applicants with a PhD are not eligible.

Additional Information

Job closing date: 24.03.2025 at 23:59 (midnight) CET.

Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum.

Working hours: 40 hours per week

Target start date: 01-June-2025

This position involves:

• Work in Radiation Areas.
• Interventions in underground installations.
• A valid driving licence.

Job reference: TE-VSC-BVO-2025-33-GRAE

Field of work: Mechanical Engineering

What we offer

• A monthly stipend ranging between 5196 and 5716 Swiss Francs (net of tax).
• Coverage by CERN's comprehensive health scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
• Depending on your individual circumstances: installation grant; family, child and infant allowances; payment of travel expenses at the beginning and end of contract.
• 30 days of paid leave per year.
• On-the-job and formal training at CERN as well as in-house language courses for English and/or French.

About us

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.

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