Hardware Engineer (Robotics/Automation) Mountain View, CA View Role

Formulate Robotics; Mountain View, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Autonomy

Lab access

Job summary

Formulate Robotics is seeking a Hardware Engineer to design and build the physical systems powering our Gen 3 manufacturing platform. You will prototype mechanical and electromechanical systems, select components, and collaborate with controls, firmware, and software teams to ensure robust, manufacturable hardware.

Based in California with in-person collaboration in Mountain View, this role emphasizes hands-on prototyping, fast iteration, and creating hardware that integrates tightly with

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in robotics, automation, or electromechanical system design.
• Strong fundamentals in mechanical engineering and/or electrical integration.
• Experience with motors, actuators, motion control, sensors, or industrial automation components.
• Comfortable working hands-on in a lab or shop environment.
• High agency mindset and problem-solving without waiting for instruction.
• Strong first-principles thinking and comfort operating in ambiguity.
• Experience using modern AI tools to accelerate design, debugging, and documentation workflows.

Responsibilities

• Design and prototype mechanical and electromechanical systems for robotics-driven manufacturing.
• Develop automation assemblies including motion systems, dispensing mechanisms, structural frames, and tooling.
• Select and integrate motors, actuators, sensors, load cells, controllers, and safety components.
• Collaborate with controls, firmware, and software engineers to define hardware/software interfaces.
• Run testing and validation cycles to ensure reliability, repeatability, and safety.
• Design for manufacturability, serviceability, and cost reduction.
• Create documentation, BOMs, assembly instructions, and test protocols.
• Troubleshoot mechanical and electrical issues in prototype and production systems.
• Continuously improve system robustness based on real-world performance data.

Skills

Robotics

Mechanical engineering

Electrical integration

Motors & actuators

Motion control

Sensors

Lab hands-on

First-principles thinking

AI tools in design

Tools

CAD/CAE

Job description

We're building the applied AI platform for autonomous industrial batching, combining prompt-to-production automation with a recursive learning system that improves through every formulation and batch, helping usher in a new era of programmable, abundant manufacturing.

About the Role

As a Hardware Engineer (Robotics/Automation), you'll design and build the physical systems that power our Gen 3 manufacturing platform. This role sits at the intersection of robotics, motion systems, sensors, fluid handling, and industrial automation.

You will work on real-world systems: actuators, load cells, dispensing systems, mechanical assemblies, safety interlocks, and precision automation. Our machines operate in production environments, so reliability, serviceability, and manufacturability matter as much as raw performance.

This is not a purely theoretical role. We're looking for a builder - someone who prototypes fast, tests aggressively, learns from failure, and iterates quickly. You should be excited about creating hardware that integrates tightly with software and AI systems.

This is a full-time role based in California, with in-person collaboration expected in our Mountain View office.

What You'll Do

• Design and prototype mechanical and electromechanical systems for robotics-driven manufacturing.
• Develop automation assemblies including motion systems, dispensing mechanisms, structural frames, and tooling.
• Select and integrate motors, actuators, sensors, load cells, controllers, and safety components.
• Collaborate closely with controls, firmware, and software engineers to define clean hardware/software interfaces.
• Run testing and validation cycles to ensure reliability, repeatability, and safety.
• Design for manufacturability, serviceability, and cost reduction.
• Create documentation, BOMs, assembly instructions, and test protocols.
• Troubleshoot mechanical and electrical issues in prototype and production systems.
• Continuously improve system robustness based on real-world performance data.

What We're Looking For

• 3+ years of experience in robotics, automation, or electromechanical system design.
• Strong fundamentals in mechanical engineering and/or electrical integration.
• Experience with motors, actuators, motion control, sensors, or industrial automation components.
• Comfortable working hands-on in a lab or shop environment.
• High agency mindset -- you identify problems and solve them without waiting for instruction.
• Strong first-principles thinking and comfort operating in ambiguity.
• Experience using modern AI tools to accelerate design, debugging, and documentation workflows.
• Nice-to-haves: fluid systems, high-shear mixing equipment, precision dispensing, industrial safety systems, DFM experience.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation with equity.
• Direct ownership over core hardware systems.
• Opportunity to build real-world robotics that reshape manufacturing.
• Fast-moving, scrappy team environment with high autonomy.
• Access to modern tools, lab equipment, and AI-enabled workflows.