Staff Robotics Hardware Engineer (Defense Manufacturing Startup)

A small, early-stage startup applying autonomous manufacturing to defense work is looking for a staff-level hardware engineer to own the architecture and field deployment of its robotic systems. The seat combines leadership with hands-on building and offers a route toward running a hardware organization, and the hire will make sure the machines perform outside the lab.

What you’ll lead

• Lead fast prototype cycles on the robot hardware as the team prepares for its debut customer installation
• Evaluate and integrate off-the-shelf robot arms, end effectors, cameras and sensors into turnkey work cells, judging what will and will not suit the task
• Own each hardware program from first requirements to validated, manufactured and installed systems at customer sites
• Set engineering standards, run design reviews and mentor the mechanical engineers already on the team
• Grow a hardware group over time, hiring and leading its members, as customer rollouts in the defense manufacturing sector multiply

What you bring

• Six to twelve years in robotics hardware engineering rather than purely mechanical design
• A record of leading complex hardware programs from architecture through to production and field use
• Experience as a hands-on technical lead or hardware manager
• Fluency in a modern 3D CAD tool and in mechanical fundamentals such as tolerance analysis, GD&T, structures, materials and actuators
• Ability to influence engineering direction and settle cross-functional technical disagreements without formal authority
• A plus: manipulation hardware experience, such as grippers and 6- or 7-DOF arms

On-site in New York, NY. US citizenship is required; visa sponsorship is not available.