Senior Mechatronics Engineer

SYOS Aerospace; Mount Maunganui; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SYOS Aerospace in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, seeks a Senior Mechatronics Engineer to own avionics and electronic systems for autonomous vehicles. You will lead the technical integration and development of an assigned platform, define avionics architecture, select components and ensure reliable real-world operation.

This hands-on role spans mechanical, electrical, embedded software and systems engineering.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of mechatronics engineering experience in robotics, aerospace, defence or autonomous systems.
• Degree in Mechatronics, Electrical, Software, Computer Systems Engineering or related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Own the avionics architecture: develop, document and maintain system diagrams defining interfaces and information flow.
• Evaluate and select sensors, controllers, actuators and other components based on requirements, reliability and cost.
• Integrate hardware and software to create functional vehicle prototypes and bench-test configurations.
• Configure onboard modules including flight controllers and communications equipment.
• Work with cross-functional teams to define interfaces and wiring for production-ready systems.
• Diagnose complex vehicle issues and feed lessons learned into design iterations.
• Define and carry out testing to verify modules and integrated systems meet requirements.
• Assist with vehicle preparation, integration, testing and troubleshooting during flight operations.

Job description

SYOS is a fast-growing global robotics and aerospace company developing uncrewed systems across air, land and sea for dual-use applications.

About The Role

We’re looking for a Senior Mechatronics Engineer to take ownership of the avionics and electronic systems that power our autonomous vehicles. You’ll take responsibility for the technical integration and ongoing development of an assigned vehicle platform. You’ll define its avionics architecture, select the right components for the mission, integrate subsystems and ensure everything works together reliably in real-world conditions.

This is a hands-on role where you’ll work across mechanical, electrical, embedded software and systems engineering, turning concepts into reliable, field-ready products. You’ll also play an important role in mentoring junior engineers and helping lift the technical capability of the wider team.

What You’ll Do

• Own the avionics architecture: Develop, document and maintain system diagrams that define the vehicle’s avionics architecture, interfaces and information flow.
• Select the right technology: Evaluate and select sensors, controllers, actuators, communications modules and other components against mission requirements, functionality, reliability, risk and cost.
• Integrate hardware and software: Bring electronic and embedded systems together to create functional vehicle prototypes and working bench-test configurations.
• Configure vehicle systems: Configure and integrate onboard modules, including flight controllers, sensors, communications equipment and associated software.
• Drive production readiness: Work with mechanical and software engineering teams to define interfaces, mounting requirements, wiring, configuration and integration requirements for production-ready systems.
• Troubleshoot and improve: Diagnose complex vehicle issues, support fault-finding activities and feed lessons learned back into subsequent design iterations.
• Support verification and validation: Define and carry out appropriate testing activities to verify that individual modules and integrated systems meet their requirements.
• Support flight operations: Assist with vehicle preparation, integration, testing and troubleshooting during flight operations when required.
• Maintain engineering control: Use appropriate version control, configuration management and engineering tools to maintain traceability and control of system designs and configurations.

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for a practical, systems-minded engineer who understands how electronics, embedded software, communications and mechanical hardware come together in a complex vehicle. You will ideally bring:

• 6+ years of mechatronics engineering experience, ideally in robotics, aerospace, defence, autonomous systems or a similar environment.
• Degree in Mechatronics, Electrical, Software, Computer Systems Engineering or a related discipline.
• Strong experience with embedded systems and the integration of electronic hardware and software.
• Experience selecting and integrating sensors, controllers, actuators and other electronic components based on technical and mission requirements.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, with the ability to diagnose complex system-level issues across hardware and software.
• Experience mentoring or technically supporting junior engineers.
• Experience with version control and configuration management tools such as Git, SVN, Teamcenter or similar
• Basic understanding of RF communications, communication protocols and data flow between a vehicle and its ground station.
• The ability to define and maintain system-level avionics architectures, including interfaces, module selection and information flow.

Nice to have

• Experience developing or integrating aerospace, defence, UAV/UAS, robotics or other autonomous vehicle systems.
• Experience configuring and integrating flight controllers or autopilot systems.
• Experience taking a working prototype through testing, refinement and production readiness.
• Experience supporting vehicle trials, flight operations or field testing.

Why SYOS?

At SYOS, you’ll see your engineering work move quickly from concept to prototype to deployment. You’ll work alongside talented engineers solving real-world challenges and have the opportunity to make a genuine impact on next-generation autonomous technology.

We value engineers who take ownership, think critically and enjoy working through challenging problems. You’ll thrive here if you enjoy collaborating across disciplines, learning quickly, challenging assumptions and turning complex engineering challenges into practical solutions.

Build it. Test it. Deploy it.