Mechanical Engineer (Lab Automation Robotics)

An early-stage robotics startup is working to speed up life science research by pairing AI with robots that run laboratory instruments the way a skilled person would. It is hiring a mechanical engineer among its first employees to create the hardware that lets those robots automate customer lab protocols from start to finish.

Core duties

• Evaluate, prove out and refine mechanical systems through hands-on testing
• Turn concepts into CAD models and precise manufacturing drawings
• Prototype hardware and cycle through build-and-test rounds
• Engineer robotic mechanisms able to work with laboratory biology tools that were designed for people
• Cross discipline lines when a problem calls for it, and take on a broad scope

Skills and background

• Between one and seven years of hands-on mechanical design after graduation, with hardware you took through to manufacturing
• A bachelor’s or master’s in mechatronics, mechanical engineering or a close relative, or comparable hands-on experience
• Proficiency in a professional CAD package and a good grasp of manufacturing processes and design for manufacturability
• Good mechanical instincts, the ability to troubleshoot and assemble hardware, and a taste for part design and material selection
• Familiarity with rapid prototyping methods and a pragmatic, get-to-good-enough mindset
• Prior time on a small team or at an early-stage company, and a portfolio with written technical explanations
• Helpful extras: PLM or document control, circuit design, motion control, sensors, robot arms, robotics code, or lab automation exposure

Fully on-site in the San Francisco Bay Area, with relocation support available. Visa transfers considered.