Lead Mechanical Engineer

D24 Search; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

D24 Search is partnering with a Bay Area client building a next-generation mini-mill to process e-waste, leveraging automation and AI. The role targets a senior hardware lead who will own the build-out of robotic systems and the surrounding manufacturing infrastructure.

You will shape production systems from prototype to industrial scale, lead a small hardware team, and contribute to a fast-moving startup opening its first live facility in the Bay Area.

Qualifications

• 5-10+ years of hands-on mechanical/hardware engineering experience at elite manufacturers.
• Track record taking a physical system from design through build to production.
• Mechatronics/robotics design and build across design, controls, and manufacturing integration.
• Demonstrated fast progression into scope; growing responsibility.
• Experience building for a company manufacturing its own hardware at scale; bonus for materials/mining exposure.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end design, build, and integration of robotic systems from components to subsystems.
• Architect and scale entire production systems—controls, manufacturing systems, path from prototype to industrial scale.
• Build out internal engineering processes and design reviews as an early senior hardware hire.
• Manage and grow a small team of hardware engineers.
• Take on operational responsibilities in a flat, fast-moving team.
• Work day-to-day inside our first live processing facility opening soon.

Skills

Robotics design

Mechatronics

Hardware engineering

Manufacturing systems

Project leadership

Prototype to production

Team management

Job description

My client is building the next generation of critical-material manufacturing: decentralized, automation- and AI-driven \"mini mills\" that extract and refine rare earth and precious metals, positioning itself as \"the next Nucor and Glencore.\" The first mill processes e-waste - riding the tailwind of a 2026 executive order banning e-waste export – with plans to expand into broader urban mining and eventually owned mineral deposits.

The mini-mill model is designed to be roughly 5x faster and 80% cheaper to stand up than centralized competitors.

Pre-seed, backed by Cantos Ventures (a top-ranked early-stage deep-tech fund), with commercial offtake contracts already worth tens of millions of dollars. The founding team combines computer science, machine learning, and robotics backgrounds, and is opening one of the first new domestic critical-materials processing facilities in 20-30 years, in the Bay Area.

About the Role

One of the first senior hardware hires (informally the \"Head of Hardware Engineering\"), owning the build-out of the company's robotic systems and the manufacturing systems around them - not just individual components, but how the whole production system comes together and scales.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end design, build, and integration of our robotic systems, from individual components (e.g., sorters) through full subsystem integration.
• Architect and scale entire production systems - controls, manufacturing systems, and the path from prototype to industrial scale.
• Build out internal engineering processes (design cycles, reviews) as one of the company's first senior hardware hires.
• Manage and grow a small team of hardware engineers.
• Take on operational responsibilities as needed in a flat, fast-moving team.
• Work day-to-day inside our first live processing facility (opening within weeks).

Requirements

• 5-10+ years of hands-on mechanical/hardware engineering experience at an elite, high-velocity manufacturer - SpaceX, Tesla, Anduril, Relativity Space, or a comparable space/defense/advanced-manufacturing company.
• a track record of taking a physical system from design through build to a working, scaled production line.
• Mechatronics/robotics design and build experience - comfortable across mechanical design, controls, and manufacturing-systems integration.
• Demonstrated career \"slope\" - fast progression into greater scope, not multiple years stalled in the same role.
• Experience designing/building for a company manufacturing its own hardware at increasing scale (vs. pure R&D/prototype work).
• Bonus points if you have exposure to critical materials, mining, metals, or heavy-industrial manufacturing