Hardware Technician

Gradient Robotics; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Gradient Robotics seeks a Hardware Technician to drive day-to-day hardware build and test work. You will own multiple projects, optimize workflows, and document results, touching many shop areas to keep hardware moving fast.

In this hands-on role, you’ll design fixes, implement improvements, and mentor teammates as needed. Expect rapid learning, ownership, and collaboration across cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• DIY/maker experience must-have.
• Proficiency in CAD required.
• Experience diagnosing and resolving hardware issues.
• Ability to manage multiple projects with deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong communication skills are essential.
• Willingness to take initiative and improve processes.
• Comfort with ambiguity and high ownership mentality.
• On-site in San Francisco, 5 days per week (6 days during crunch time).

Responsibilities

• Own task flow across teams: organize and prioritize incoming work from multiple teams and keep everything moving on schedule
• Own the 3D printing equipment: operate and maintain various types of printers and keep them running reliably
• Own your workflow: take ownership over your work and design projects that optimize how you and your team operate
• Own documentation: communicate and document test results and data in a clear and concise way

Skills

DIY experience

CAD

Hardware troubleshooting

Prioritization

Communication

Ownership mindset

Learning mindset

Ambiguity tolerance

On-site in SF

Tools

3D printing

Shop tools

Job description

About the Company

The datacenter buildout is the largest industrial project in human history. Gradient builds the autonomous robots that make it possible.

Partnered with the world's largest AI infrastructure companies and backed by the industry's best investors, we move fast and build full-stack systems that matter.

About the role

We're looking for a Hardware Technician to be the backbone of how Gradient Robotics builds and tests hardware day-to-day. This is intentionally a hands-on, high-ownership role. You'll support multiple teams at once while taking real ownership over your own projects and workflow. This is a role for someone who loves making things and making them better: you'll see a bottleneck in how parts get built or tested, design a fix, and document it so the whole team benefits. You'll touch nearly everything that comes through the shop, which means constant learning and room to grow quickly. The impact is significant: you'll keep hardware moving for every team, while building the skills and systems that make the whole shop run faster.

Responsibilities

• Own task flow across teams: organize and prioritize incoming work from multiple teams and keep everything moving on schedule

• Own the 3D printing equipment: operate and maintain various types of printers and keep them running reliably

• Own your workflow: take ownership over your work and design projects that optimize how you and your team operate

• Own documentation: communicate and document test results and data in a clear and concise way

Minimum Qualifications

• Making experience (DIY projects, makerspace experience, etc.)

• Proficiency in CAD

• Experience diagnosing and resolving hardware issues

• Ability to work efficiently under pressure and meet deadlines across multiple projects simultaneously, with strong prioritization skills

• Willingness to take initiative and recognize areas of potential improvement without being asked

• Excellent communication skills

• Commitment to taking every opportunity to learn and develop engineering skills through hands-on experience

• Comfort with ambiguity and a high-ownership mindset

• Able to work on-site in San Francisco 5 days/week (6 days/week if needed during crunch time), embedded in the team

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at a hardware, robotics, or manufacturing company

• Hands-on experience with a range of shop tools beyond 3D printing

• Comfort using AI tools to multiply your own output