Engineering Technician

Specter; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Specter in San Francisco builds video sensors and AI for the physical world. This hands-on role involves fabricating mounts, wiring test rigs, and mounting hardware on roofs or in labs, with a mix of field and workshop work.

You will assemble computers and racks, run cable and power, keep the lab tidy, and help prototype hardware using 3D printing, soldering, and basic machining. Safety, organization, and a willingness to learn are essential.

Qualifications

• End-to-end hardware installation experience.
• Mounting, drilling, fastening, and cable routing.
• Fabrication and shop skills: 3D printing, machining, welding, or hand/power tools.
• Basic Linux familiarity.
• Hands-on breadboarding, soldering, or crimping harnesses.
• Careful and organized with expensive equipment.
• Eager to learn and grow into broader hardware roles.
• Comfortable working outdoors and at height.

Responsibilities

• Builds and assembly: Put together the computers, server racks, and test rigs the whole team runs on, built well enough that people trust them.
• Cabling and networking: Run and terminate the network and power cabling and install the switches the lab depends on, then leave it clean and labeled enough that the next person never has to guess.
• Field install support: Get hardware mounted and weatherproofed at our test sites, including the roof, so it keeps working through months of real weather.
• Lab upkeep: Keep the lab organized, stocked, and safe, and catch the small problems, a hot server or a strained cable, before they take something down.
• Hands-on prototyping: Help turn rough ideas into working hardware: breadboarding, crimping harnesses, fabrication, and 3D printing.

Skills

End-to-end install

Mounting & routing

Fabrication & shop skills

Basic Linux

Breadboarding

Soldering & crimping

3D printing

Hand & power tools

Welding (optional)

Tools

Linux

Job description

Company Background

Specter's mission is to help automate the physical world. Today, we build video sensors with state-of-the-art AI agents that answer any question, anywhere in their environments. Our systems can automatically detect and reason about any physical activity captured on camera, from security incidents (e.g. perimeter intrusion, theft, LPR), to safety monitoring (e.g. PPE detection, injured people), to operational efficiency (e.g. material tracking, congestion monitoring). We offer both long range wireless (1km range) and wired sensor variants to suit any deployment.

Our co-founders Xerxes and Philip are passionate about empowering our partners in the fast approaching world of physical AI and robotics. We are a small, fast growing team who hail from Anduril, Tesla, Uber, and the U.S. Special Forces.

The Role

If you love making real things, this role is built for you. You’ll work with your hands and your head in equal measure: fabricating a bracket to mount hardware on the roof one day, wiring up a test rig the next, then working out how to get a pile of loose electronics enclosed, powered, and running outdoors. Early on the jobs come well-scoped. As you find your feet, more of the “here’s the goal, figure out how” problems become yours to solve.

Responsibilities

• Builds and assembly: Put together the computers, server racks, and test rigs the whole team runs on, built well enough that people trust them. Catch the problems that look small now before they cost someone a day later.

• Cabling and networking: Run and terminate the network and power cabling and install the switches the lab depends on, then leave it clean and labeled enough that the next person never has to guess.

• Field install support: Get hardware mounted and weatherproofed at our test sites, including the roof, so it keeps working through months of real weather.

• Lab upkeep: Keep the lab organized, stocked, and safe, and catch the small problems, a hot server or a strained cable, before they take something down.

• Hands-on prototyping: Help turn rough ideas into working hardware: breadboarding, crimping harnesses, fabrication, and 3D printing.

Qualifications

• Handy end to end: Give you a job like running cable from the rack to the roof, and you can plan the route, put together the bill of materials, and finish it as a clean, tidy install.

• Mounting, drilling, fastening, and cable routing come naturally.

• Fabrication and shop skills: You can make and modify parts: 3D printing, basic machining, welding, or confident work with hand and power tools.

• Basic computer skills: You can build or set up a computer and find your way around Linux, or you’re keen to learn it fast.

• Some electronics exposure: Any hands‑on experience with breadboarding, soldering, or crimping harnesses.

• Careful and organized: You handle expensive equipment with care, label your work, and leave things tidy for the next person.

• Eager to learn: You ask good questions, pick things up quickly, and want to grow into a broader hardware role.

• Comfortable working with your hands: including outdoors and at height, done safely.

Nice to Have

• Networking basics: Cabling, switches, and IP addressing.

• RF or antennas: Any exposure to RF hardware or antenna work.

• Electronics: Setting up PSUs, loads, or solar panels, or reading a basic schematic.

• Relevant coursework or projects: A degree, trade training, or a portfolio of personal builds.