Research & Development Engineer

Sanctuary Cognitive Systems Corporation; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanctuary AI is seeking a skilled Research & Development Engineer to contribute to hardware R&D functions. The ideal candidate will have experience in electromechanical systems, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to work in a team-oriented environment focused on advanced robotics. This role offers an opportunity to produce innovative electromechanical designs while collaborating with cross-functional teams in a dynamic setting.

Benefits

Competitive salaries

Equity stakes

Health coverage

Paid time off

Worksite flexibility

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience with electromechanical systems, instrumentation, and thermofluidic devices.
• Experience in a research and development environment.
• Proficiency with simulation and modeling tools (CFD, FEA).

Responsibilities

• Develop prototypes for electro-mechanical systems supporting AI and robotics.
• Design innovative electromechanical mechanisms under tight constraints.
• Produce documentation including drawings and assembly instructions.

Skills

Problem-solving

Mechanical engineering principles

Electrical engineering principles

Fluid mechanics

Thermodynamics

Education

Master’s degree (M.Sc./M.A.Sc.) in engineering

Tools

3D CAD

Job description

Your New Role & Team

Sanctuary AI, a world leader in building dexterity-driven Physical AI for general purpose robots, is looking to hire a skilled and motivated Research & Development Engineer to join our Engineering team. The Research & Development Engineer is a crucial part of our team, supporting core hardware R&D functions. Reporting to the Principal Research Scientist, you’ll contribute to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of our growing organization.

The best candidates for this role have excellent skills in balancing the technical trade-offs of mechanical, electrical, and fluidic elements. You will be a valued contributor as you develop prototypes of electro-mechanical systems that will test new ideas in AI and robotics.

Our Success Criteria

• Apply hands-on experience working with complex electro-mechanical systems and instrumentation
• Develop novel methods to more effectively drive robotic degrees of freedom, gaining cutting-edge career experience
• Collaborate with company leaders to solve robotics-specific research and engineering challenges, achieving high visibility across teams
• Design and instrument innovative electromechanical mechanisms under tight packaging constraints, expanding your engineering expertise
• Produce clear and detailed documentation, including drawings and assembly instructions, to support your designs

Your Experience

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree (M.Sc./M.A.Sc.) in engineering, engineering physics, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience
• 4+ years of experience working with complex electromechanical systems, instrumentation, and thermofluidic devices
• Background in a research and development environment
• Proven creative problem-solving skills, with a portfolio of innovative projects
• Experience using simulation and modeling tools (such as CFD, FEA, or multi-domain physical systems simulation) to optimize designs
• Familiarity with scientific data acquisition and analysis
• Proficiency in operating hand tools, power tools, and test equipment

Skills:

• Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical engineering principles
• Knowledge of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer
• Familiarity with industrial instrumentation and data acquisition systems
• Experience with 3D CAD (considered an asset)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Traits:

• Above all else, a consistently positive attitude and a willingness to do whatever it takes to create robust solutions to complex problems
• Using existing knowledge to develop original ways of working
• Taking personal responsibility for the quality and content of your work
• Analyzing data and information to make considered decisions
• Expressing an interest in others’ experiences and ideas
• Obsession with bringing human-like intelligence to machines

Working at Sanctuary AI

Sanctuary AI is an equal opportunity employer; employment with Sanctuary AI is governed based on skills, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any way by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status. In 2023, Sanctuary AI moved into a state-of-the-art office facility and has been recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Startup company.

Compensation and Benefits

Sanctuary offers a market-leading compensation package that includes competitive salaries, equity stakes, and a full suite of benefits for permanent employees, encompassing health coverage, paid time off, cutting-edge work facilities, and worksite flexibility by role. Our commitment to fairness ensures that our total compensation consistently surpasses market standards.

About Sanctuary AI

Founded in 2018, Sanctuary builds humanoid robots and a novel control system for them that integrates symbolic logic and reasoning with data-driven robot foundation models. We use our robots to collect vision, audio, touch, and proprioception data from the perspective of the robot while they perform real-world work tasks. We use that data to train multimodal robot foundation models. Because our systems are vertically integrated, we can design, deploy, and refine at scale. Our mission is to create the world's first human-like intelligence in general-purpose robots.

Recruiting and Employment Agency Notice:

Recruitment and hiring is conducted internally by Sanctuary AI. We are not seeking or soliciting any new agency partnerships or agreements at this time.Any employment agency or professional recruiter (“Agency”) that provides an unsolicited resume(s) or otherwise presents a prospective job candidate through the Sanctuary AI career site or directly to any Sanctuary AI employee, irrevocably grants to Sanctuary AI the unrestricted right to engage, hire, or contract with that candidate at Sanctuary AI's sole discretion without any compensation to the Agency. We appreciate your interest in working together, and should the need arise our Talent Acquisition team will contact any external firms directly.