Senior Engineering Technician - Bot Prototype

About the role

This role involves owning end-to-end mechanical assembly, wire harness build-up, and rework of complex prototype systems, diagnosing non-routine, multi-domain failures, translating findings into design feedback, and mentoring junior technicians.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end mechanical assembly, wire harness build-up, and rework of complex prototype systems, often with incomplete or evolving work instructions, first-article quality issues, and significant ambiguity.
• Diagnose non-routine, multi-domain failures across mechanical, electrical, and software interfaces; perform root-cause analysis and identify systemic patterns affecting hardware reliability.
• Translate build and rework findings into structured, actionable design feedback, and partner with Design Engineering to shape revisions toward easier assembly, manufacturability, and serviceability.
• Produce technical documentation and work instructions from first principles so builds and rework can be repeated reliably by the team.
• Lead validation and bring-up on bot hardware, planning and running procedures with limited engineer oversight and reporting results cleanly.
• Use machine and shop tools (drill press, band saw, chop saw, grinders, rotary tools; manual mill/lathe a plus) to fabricate, modify, and rework parts as builds require.
• Mentor junior technicians, share technical learnings, and help set the bar for build quality across the team.
• Work independently across systems, exercising judgment on when to solve and when to escalate, and help keep the lab safe, organized, and well-equipped.

Requirements

• Deep, proven experience with electro-mechanical hardware in prototype or fast-iterative environments, including complex assembly, harnessing, and rework.
• Can independently read and navigate drawings and 3D models, interpret metric/imperial tolerances, and reason about revision deltas across builds.
• Diagnose multi-domain failures and perform structured root-cause analysis across mechanical, electrical, and software interfaces.
• Have strong harnessing fundamentals: wire soldering, connector crimping, cable management, and reading electrical schematics, and can teach them.
• Turn hands-on findings into clear design feedback and durable documentation.
• Thrive on changing priorities: recover quickly from blocked builds, re-sequence work without prompting, and keep momentum when the plan changes.
• Communicate clearly across teams, mentor peers, seek and give feedback, and raise risks early with respect for the team.
• Comfortable in an industrial environment working on heavy equipment, and follow PPE and shop safety practices without being asked.

Nice to have

• PCB soldering and board rework.
• Comfort with terminal/SSH and command-line tools.
• Experience operating manual mills, lathes, or other machine tools (Bridgeport a plus).
• Onshape familiarity (or comparable 3D CAD experience; we'll give you time to ramp).
• Forklift and/or personnel lift certification.
• Exposure to PLM/ERP systems (Arena, NetSuite), ticketing and project-management tools (Linear, JIRA), and dashboarding tools (Grafana).

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and equity grants at a high-growth company backed by top-tier VCs.
• Full-subsidized health coverage, including medical (baseline plans), dental, and vision for employees and dependents.
• 401(k) plans and employer-subsidized life insurance.
• Generous PTO and company-paid holidays, including one week over the winter break so everyone can recharge together.
• Voluntary pet insurance, Voluntary Life Insurance, Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity.
• Comprehensive tax advisory services and education to help you understand your equity.
• Commute benefits, including a up to $150 monthly commuter benefit.
• Lively, modern combined office and lab space where we rapidly iterate through design, build, and test phases.
• Equipped onsite gym and showers at headquarters.