Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Senior Mechanical Engineer II
San Diego, CA · Senior
Stay score
odds of building a lasting career here
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~45% per draw at Level III). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
Lottery odds assume a STEM candidate.
Personalize to your clock →H-1B wage level
the lottery is wage-weighted — each level is one more entry
$17,670 more — $143,270 — moves this role to Level IV and 4 lottery entries. That figure is inside the range the employer already advertised.
Based on the DOL prevailing wage for this occupation and worksite, a base salary of $143,270 would place this position at wage Level IV. That figure is within the posted range, and I'd like to target it. This role classifies under "Mechanical Engineers" for prevailing-wage purposes.
DOL prevailing wage, 2026-27 wage year · Mechanical Engineers (17-2141) · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Wage level is derived by USCIS from the offered wage, occupation and worksite; the occupation shown is inferred from the job title.
Employer immigration record
from this employer's Department of Labor filings
Green-card follow-through: 83%
Files H-1B transfers
Sourced from Department of Labor LCA, PERM and prevailing-wage disclosure data. Employer matching is by name, so figures may be split across an employer's legal entities. Absence of a filing means none appears in our copy of the data, not that none exists.
Community outcomes
No reports yet — be the first to help the next applicant.
About the role
- The Engineering and Applied Physics team at Vertex, San Diego, is looking to add a top-notch Senior Mechanical Engineer II to our elite team of engineers and physicists.
- This is an onsite position at our San Diego research site.
Responsibilities
- Design complex precision electromechanical and opto-mechanical systems
- Own mechanical designs from concept through deployment; accountable for quality, documentation, manufacturability, and technical execution
- Prepare clear design documentation for procurement and manufacturing
- Present designs to department, cross-functional, and senior leaders
- Mentor and support team members
- Use sound engineering judgment to assess tradeoffs and deliver creative, effective solutions to challenging problems
- Develop robust, manufacturable, production-ready scientific instruments meeting functional, reliability, safety, and performance requirements
- Partner with stakeholders to define requirements and timelines and report project status
- The Senior Mechanical Engineer II plays a key role, helping us translate ideas into design, design into hardware, and hardware into meaningful technological impact.
- Strong ownership and accountability; independently drive complex designs to completion
Requirements
- Experience with pneumatic, fluidic, and motion-control components: cylinders, valves, pumps, servo/stepper motors, controllers/amplifiers, encoders, ball screws, belts, guides, and gears
Nice to have
- Strong understanding of relationship between mechanical design, system performance, manufacturability, assembly, integration, and testing
- Generalist mindset
- willing to explore new methods, materials, and technologies
- Strong organization, communication, and time management
- clearly explain technical decisions, status, and tradeoffs to diverse audiences
- Hand and power tool experience
- basic mill/lathe skills a plus
- Advanced CAD and PDM skills
Skills
- Advanced CAD and PDM skills; SolidWorks preferred
- Broad machine-design experience delivering high-quality, production-ready scientific instrumentation
- Generalist mindset; willing to explore new methods, materials, and technologies
- Strong organization, communication, and time management; clearly explain technical decisions, status, and tradeoffs to diverse audiences
- Detail-oriented, self-driven problem solver with a record of innovative solutions
- Hand and power tool experience; basic mill/lathe skills a plus
- Education and Experience:
- BS or higher in Mechanical Engineering
Compensation
- $125,600 - $188,400
- The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the base salary pay range for this job at the time of posting.
- This role is eligible for an annual bonus and annual equity awards.
- Some roles may also be eligible for overtime pay, in accordance with federal and state requirements.
- Actual base salary pay will be based on a number of factors, including skills, competencies, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law.
Equal opportunity
- Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com
This listing is sourced directly from Vertex Pharmaceuticals's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.