Mechanical / Mechatronics Engineer (Early Career), Hardware

Adaptyv; Lausanne; On-site; CHF 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Adaptyv in Lausanne is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Engineer to design and build automated lab hardware for biology experiments. You will take concepts from CAD to fabrication, assemble fixtures, mounts, enclosures, and robotic interfaces, and work closely with automation and software teams to ensure reliable operation.

The role emphasizes practical problem solving, fast prototyping, and accessible maintenance in a busy lab environment.

Qualifications

• Degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics or robotics.
• Hands-on experience designing and building physical systems.
• Familiarity with CAD and rapid prototyping processes.

Responsibilities

• Design, prototype, and build custom mechanical and mechatronic components for lab automation.
• Develop fixtures, mounts, enclosures, robotic interfaces, and other hardware.
• Integrate sensors, actuators, motors and control electronics with guidance from senior engineers.
• Take designs from CAD through fabrication, assembly, testing and deployment.
• Help integrate new hardware into automated workflows and troubleshoot issues.
• Collaborate with automation, software and biology teams to ensure reliability.

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD skills

3D printing

Robotics

Electrical basics

Problem solving

Shop skills

Teamwork

Self-starter

Curious learner

Education

BSc / MSc in mechanical engineering or mechatronics

Tools

CAD software: SolidWorks / Fusion 360 / Onshape

3D printers

Basic electronics

Job description

Adaptyv is building an automated lab that lets AI agents run biology experiments.

We're entering the era of agentic science where AI models can now design novel proteins, propose hypotheses, and iterate on experimental results. But they can't run the experiments themselves - that's still a manual, months-long process. We're building the infrastructure that gives AI agents access to the physical world.

We are one of the fastest growing biotech companies, trusted by leading biopharmas, frontier AI labs, and the techbio companies pushing the field forward. This is a rare chance to help advance some of the most important work happening in biotech today.

Our automated lab is powered by a deep software + hardware stack: lab instruments worth millions of USD reverse-engineered into API-controllable hardware, dozens of devices orchestrated through complex workflows, full observability on everything that happens in the lab, processing pipelines for messy physical-world data, and AI systems that troubleshoot production results and accelerate assay development.

We're growing rapidly and are hiring for talented people to scale and support the massive demand for AI-driven wet lab experimentation.

About The Role

We're building highly automated laboratory systems that combine robotics, scientific instruments, custom hardware, and software to run biological experiments at scale.

You'll help design, prototype, and build the mechanical and mechatronic systems that connect and support our laboratory automation infrastructure. This includes developing custom components, integrating sensors and actuators, improving existing systems, and solving practical engineering challenges that arise as we scale.

This is a highly hands-on role. You'll work alongside our automation engineers on projects from initial concept and CAD through prototyping, testing and deployment in the lab, and take on more ownership as you grow. You'll work closely with our automation, software, and biology teams to develop reliable hardware that can operate continuously with minimal human intervention.

We're looking for someone who enjoys building things, learning quickly and solving practical technical problems, and turning ideas into working systems. If you've spent your studies building robots, rockets, race cars or 3D-printed contraptions and want to do that full-time on real problems, we'd love to hear from you.

Location:

Lausanne, Switzerland (on-site)

• Type: Full-time
• Experience: 0-3 years (recent graduates welcome)

What You'll Do

• Design, prototype, and build custom mechanical and mechatronic components for laboratory automation.
• Develop fixtures, mounts, enclosures, robotic interfaces, and other custom hardware.
• Integrate sensors, actuators, motors, and control electronics with guidance from senior engineers, improving automation capabilities and system monitoring.
• Take designs from CAD through fabrication, assembly, testing and deployment.
• Help integrate new hardware and scientific instruments into automated workflows.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical and integration issues, learning to find root causes and build robust fixes.
• Contribute to improving existing hardware for reliability and maintainability.
• Help source components and work with suppliers on custom parts.

What We’re Looking For

• A degree (BSc or MSc) in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, robotics or a related field.
• Hands-on experience designing and building physical things, whether from internships, a thesis, student teams (e.g. Formula Student, EPFL Xplore/Rocket Team, robotics competitions) or personal projects.
• Comfortable with CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Onshape or similar).
• Experience with 3D printing, basic machining or mechanical assembly.
• Comfortable working safely in a workshop with hand and power tools (e.g. drills, saws, grinders).
• Some exposure to sensors, motors or basic electronics (Arduino-level is great).
• Curious, eager to learn, and happy to get your hands dirty. You ask good questions and take initiative.

Nice to Have

None of these are required. They’re things you'll pick up here.

• Exposure to laboratory automation, scientific instrumentation, or robotic systems.
• Experience with data acquisition or sensor integration.
• Familiarity with PCB design, embedded electronics, microcontrollers, or control systems.
• Experience operating workshop machinery such as a lathe, milling machine, CNC or laser cutter.
• Programming experience in Python, C/C++, or similar languages.
• A solid grounding in mechanical design principles, materials and tolerances.
• Membership of a student competition team, or open-source hardware or maker projects.

Application deadline

We are reviewing applicants on a rolling basis.