Mechanical Research Engineer position in a Horizon Europe Funded Project (m/f)

Workplace: Laboratory for Underwater Systems and technologies (LABUST; https://labust.fer.hr/), Department of Control and Computer Engineering, University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (https://www.fer.unizg.hr/). The UWIN-LABUST Research Group will be part of the Laboratory for Underwater Systems and Technologies (LABUST; https://labust.fer.hr/) at UNIZG-FER. LABUST has significant expertise in marine robotics, obtained through a number of capacity building and research projects. The UWIN-LABUST Research Group will be led by the ERA Chair, Prof. Roee Diamant, Head of the Underwater Acoustic & Navigation Laboratory (ANL) at the University of Haifa that is a partner in the UWIN-LABUST project. ANL is focused on underwater acoustics and develops probabilistic and machine learning algorithms for marine applications.

Required candidate’s qualifications and experience: - Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Material Engineering, or Mechatronics - Proven experience (minimum 3 years) in tasks related to mechanical design, CNC operation, stress modeling, heat dissipation analysis, sealing, and internal packaging in housings - Experience in writing technical specification documents: functional requirement document (FRD), request for information (RFI), request for proposal (RFP) - Exceptional organizational and time-management abilities - Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders - Ability to work independently and as part of a team - Knowledge of the English language Desired candidate's qualifications, experience, and skills: - Experience in developing and maintaining marine systems - Sailing certificate, scuba diving certificate Application process: Applicants are invited to submit the following documents: - A signed cover letter with motivation and career goals - Transcripts of academic degrees - Copies of any published papers - Curriculum Vitae - Two letters of reference with contact details from academic faculty who can provide an opinion on the candidate - Any additional information the candidate finds useful for the evaluation process All the above documents, compiled in electronic form into a single file, should be sent via application link until January 28, 2026 (11:59 PM Central European Time). The candidate will receive a confirmation email of the application submission and feedback on the outcome of the evaluation or the result of the eligibility check. All applications submitted by the deadline will be considered for evaluation and treated in full confidentiality. The application language is English. Recruitment process: The recruitment will be conducted through an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process fully in compliance with the European Charter for Researchers and the EU Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The process will be carried out by the Recruitment Committee consisting of the ERA Chair holder, the UWIN-LABUST project coordinator, and three external members. Selection of the best applicants will be accomplished in two rounds. In the application screening round, each applicant's profile will be assessed in line with the job description. The application documents screening will aim at ranking applicants according to their CV, motivation, and career goals. In the second round, up to six best-ranked applicants will be invited for a teleconference interview to assess their research skills, presentation skills, technical expertise, and self-management/interpersonal/leadership skills. The contract will be offered to the candidates with the highest final score. Recruitment process timeline: - Deadline for applications: January 26, 2026 - The results of the applications screening sent to applicants: by February 2, 2026 - Teleconference interviews with the shortlisted applicants: by February 10, 2026 - The results of the teleconference interviews: by February 16, 2026 - The expected start date of the employment: March 1, 2026 (negotiable) Eligibility criteria: Any candidate fulfilling these Job Announcement requirements is eligible for application, regardless of gender, age, nationality, race, or ethnicity. Please include in your cover letter the following statement: „I agree to the processing of personal data provided in this document for realizing the recruitment process pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act of 10 May 2018 (Journal of Laws 2018, item 1000) and in agreement with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation)."