Lead Mechanical Design Engineer

Three Hat Robotics; Brisbane; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Ownership of mechanical design of the/

Access to AI design tools

Family friendly hours

Employee Share Options Pool

Hybrid onsite work option

Job summary

Three Hat Robotics seeks a lead mechanical designer to own the demonstrator’s mechanical design from concept to manufacturing-ready drawings. You will work with founders and mentors to rapidly move from sketch to built parts, testing, and iteration.

The role emphasizes fast decision-making, strong CAD skills, and integrating power transmission components while collaborating with electronics/software teams. Onshape is preferred; hybrid onsite options are available in Brisbane.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Industrial Design or related field.
• Strong mechanical design fundamentals and good engineering judgement.
• Fast, fluent 3D CAD; Onshape preferred; SolidWorks also of interest.
• Design for manufacture knowledge (sheet metal, machining, welding).
• Understanding of automation hardware power transmission components.
• Self-driven with good decision-making in ambiguity.
• Clear written and visual communication for a small team and external suppliers.
• Comfort with AI tools and validating AI outputs.

Responsibilities

• Design mechanical components, assemblies and enclosures for robotic food-handling system.
• Translate concepts into production drawings with manufacture in mind.
• Design sheet metal parts and weldments for quick, cost-effective builds.
• Integrate motors, gearboxes, belts, bearings and linear guides.
• Collaborate with electronics/software teams to integrate actuators and wiring.
• Liaise with fabricators and iterate prototypes.
• Document designs for build, maintenance and reproduction.
• Apply AI-assisted design tools across workflow and validate results.
• Help shape how the team uses AI in hardware design.

Skills

3D CAD

Design for manufacture

Power transmission components sizing

AI-assisted design tools

Clear communication

Self-driven

Education

Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Industrial Design or related field

Tools

Onshape

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

Onshape FeatureScript

Job description

Three Hat Robotics is building robotic kitchens. We're a hardware and software startup with pre-seed funding, now building an early pre-production demonstrator ahead of our first raise. The machine you design will be the one we show investors and customers.

The role

You'll be the lead mechanical designer on a small, fast team. You'll own the mechanical design of the demonstrator from concept sketch through to manufacturing-ready drawings, working alongside our founding engineers (including a part-time mechanical engineer who will mentor and review your work, but who can't drive day-to-day design).

You'll go from concept to CAD to a part being cut, bent or printed in days rather than months. There's no large team or process to hide behind: what you design gets built, tested and shown off, and you'll see it work (or break) and fix it fast.

We're an AI-first team. You'll use AI tools throughout your workflow, from exploring design options and generating CAD to researching and specifying components, checking calculations and drafting documentation. The aim is to spend less time on repetitive work and more on engineering judgement, so you can move faster than a traditional design office.

What you'll do

• Design mechanical components, assemblies and enclosures for a robotic food-handling system
• Take concepts from sketch to detailed design to production drawings, with design for manufacture in mind
• Design sheet metal parts and weldments that can be made quickly and cost-effectively
• Select, specify and integrate power transmission and motion hardware (motors, gearboxes, couplings, belts, bearings, linear guides and similar)
• Work with the electronics and software team to integrate actuators, sensors and wiring
• Liaise with fabricators and suppliers, and iterate fast on prototypes
• Document your designs so others can build, maintain and reproduce them
• Use AI-assisted design tools across the workflow, including generative design, AI-assisted CAD, scripted and parametric modelling, and AI support for component selection and documentation
• Help shape how the team applies AI to hardware design, trialling new tools and keeping what works

Essential skills

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Industrial Design or a related field
• Strong mechanical design fundamentals and good engineering judgement
• Fast, fluent 3D CAD. Onshape is preferred. SolidWorks is also of interest. If you use something else, show us you pick up new tools quickly
• Solid knowledge of design for manufacture, including some or all of: sheet metal (bend rules, tolerances, fasteners, flat patterns), machining, welding
• Good understanding of general industrial automation hardware, especially power transmission: motors, couplings, belts, gearboxes, bearings and linear motion components, including how to size and select them
• Self-driven: comfortable with ambiguity, makes good decisions without being told what to do, and asks for help when needed
• Clear communication, both written and visual, for a small team and for external suppliers
• Comfortable using AI tools day to day, with the engineering judgement to critically check their output

Desirable skills

• Knowledge of automation electronics (servo and stepper drives, sensors, PLCs and motion controllers)
• Experience with robotics or machinery design
• Knowledge of food-safe design (hygienic design, stainless steels, cleanability)
• Experience with 3D printing, CNC and rapid prototyping
• Basic FEA or engineering analysis
• Hands-on workshop skills, since you'll likely build and test what you design
• Interest in industrial design and ergonomics
• Experience with AI-assisted or generative design tools, or automating CAD through scripting or APIs (e.g. Onshape FeatureScript, Fusion generative design, Python)

What we're looking for in a person

You want to work on something ambitious and move quickly. You care more about building something real and having an outsized impact than a corporate environment or a rigid structure. You’d rather deliver a good solution this week than a perfect one next quarter. You see AI as a way to multiply what you can do, not a shortcut around understanding the engineering. Graduates and early-career engineers are very welcome, as are experienced engineers who want startup pace.

What we offer

• Full-time role with salary to match and real growth opportunities as the company scales
• Ownership of the mechanical design of a product from day one
• Working directly with the founders at the earliest, most formative stage
• The ability to own the process and get your hands dirty
• Access to leading AI tools for design and engineering
• Family friendly working hours - Early finish, late starts are commonplace
• Access to our Employee Share Options Pool
• This role is onsite in Newmarket, Brisbane - (Hybrid options available)