Mechanical Engineer

Backed by leading climate and American dynamism investors, Terranova builds intelligent robotic systems to terraform the Earth itself—lifting land, restoring wetlands, and protecting critical infrastructure from floods and sea-level rise. Our mission is to preserve the built environment, create new habitats, and usher in an era of abundance. Our work supports climate resilience, disaster recovery, and defense across the United States and beyond.

We’re assembling a world-class team that wants to work on something real, physical, and civilization-scale. If you want your work to reshape the world (literally), this is the place to do it.

What to Expect

As a Mechanical Engineer at Terranova, you will own the mechanical design of large-scale robotic systems while maintaining a systems-level overview across mechanical, electrical, and controls disciplines. You will own problems end-to-end, move fast, and build machines that survive the real world. Expect to be hands-on, spend long hours in the factory and in the field working alongside technicians and operators.

Responsibilities

• Act as an extreme owner for mechanical and electromechanical aspects of Terranova's field-deployed robotic systems
• Lead prototype builds, execute test campaigns, and push hardware to its limits to ensure field reliability
• Collaborate closely with electrical, controls, and field deployment teams to deliver integrated, battle-tested systems
• Drive failure analysis, testing, and iterative improvement based on real-world data

Requirements

• Experience in mechanical or electromechanical hardware design and analysis (robotics experience a plus)
• Strong CAD proficiency (OnShape)
• Hands-on fabrication and prototyping skills—you enjoy working hands-on
• Deep mechanical intuition and ability to design from first principles
• Passionate about the work that you do
• Comfortable with the pace and intensity of early-stage startup life, including long days, 6-day workweeks, and extended field hours as needed
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• U.S. permanent residency required

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Have worked on development of heavy machinery or complex multi-part systems
• Maker background—love building stuff, work is fun to you
• Coming from a startup environment—high ownership, fast-paced

Nice to Have Skills

• Experience in high voltage AC power (480V, 120+ kW) conversion systems and lithium batteries
• Experience with pumps and fluidics
• Experience with bulk material handling (conveyance)
• Experience in field-deployed systems
• Familiarity with C++, Python, or similar for controls or simulation
• PCB and embedded systems design skills

Pay

$90–140k based on experience

Benefits

Additional benefits