Mechanical Engineer

Ouster; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 177,000; Full time

Job summary

Ouster is hiring a mechanical engineer to design rugged enclosures, mounts, thermal solutions, and structural hardware powering autonomy and physical AI products. You will shepherd electromechanical systems from prototype to high-volume manufacturing within a small hardware team.

Responsibilities include CAD modeling, tolerancing, and documentation for manufacturing, with a focus on manufacturability and cost optimization for 10,000+ units per year.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of experience designing and shipping hardware products.
• Experience designing electromechanical products to industrial-grade standards at mass manufacturing scale (10,000+/yr).
• Knowledge of materials, tolerance stack-ups, thermal design, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience ramping at least one hardware system from prototype to mass production and supporting stability in the field.
• Demonstrated ability to concurrently champion multiple projects at varying lifecycle stages with minimal oversight.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechanical systems for sensor-based autonomy products, including enclosures, mounts, thermal solutions, vehicle control hardware, and harnessing.
• Own mechanical design from concept through prototype, validation, and production release.
• Partner with other hardware engineers to support sensor integration, connector placement, thermal performance, and system architecture.
• Develop CAD models, engineering drawings, tolerance analyses, and documentation for manufacturing.
• Design for manufacturing, assembly, and cost in collaboration with manufacturing partners.
• Support prototype builds, design iteration, and root cause analysis.
• Support supplier engagement, part qualification, and manufacturing issue resolution.
• Contribute to pilot deployments and field hardware integration, incorporating learnings into future designs.

Skills

CAD modeling

Tolerance analysis

Thermal design

Mass manufacturing

Electromechanical design

Tools

3D CAD tools

Finite Element Analysis

Job description

At Ouster, we are pioneering the future of Physical AI. Our advanced vision algorithms and cutting-edge sensor hardware power the next generation of autonomous systems - from robots to smart infrastructure - building a safer and more efficient world.

The Industrial Autonomy Team is seeking a mechanical engineer to design and validate the rugged enclosures, mounts, thermal solutions, and structural hardware powering products for autonomy and physical AI customers. Working closely with a small hardware team, you will help shape our physical architecture while taking complex electromechanical systems from early prototype through high-volume manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechanical systems for sensor-based autonomy products, including enclosures, mounts, thermal solutions, vehicle control hardware, and harnessing
• Own mechanical design from concept through prototype, validation, and production release
• Partner with other hardware engineers to support sensor integration, connector placement, thermal performance, and system architecture
• Develop CAD models, engineering drawings, tolerance analyses, and documentation for manufacturing
• Design for manufacturing, assembly, and cost in collaboration with manufacturing partners
• Support prototype builds, design iteration, and root cause analysis
• Support supplier engagement, part qualification, and manufacturing issue resolution
• Contribute to pilot deployments and field hardware integration, incorporating learnings into future designs

Qualifications

• 5-10 years of experience designing and shipping hardware products
• Experience designing electromechanical products to industrial-grade standards at mass manufacturing scale (10,000+/yr)
• Knowledge of materials, tolerance stack-ups, thermal design, and manufacturing processes
• Experience ramping at least one hardware system from prototype to mass production + supporting stability in the field
• Demonstrated ability to concurrently champion multiple projects at varying lifecycle stages, with minimal project management oversight

Preferred experience

• Experience with autonomy, robotics, industrial equipment, automotive, or sensor hardware
• Experience with high-volume production, including direct collaboration with overseas contract manufacturers
• Experience with Functional Safety standards (ISO 26262 or similar) and rigorous validation frameworks

The base pay will be dependent on your skills, work experience, location, and qualifications. This role may also be eligible for equity & benefits. ($120,000 - $177,000)

We acknowledge the confidence gap at Ouster. You do not need to meet all of these requirements to be the ideal candidate for this role.

Ouster is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that pursues and hires a diverse workforce. Ouster does not make employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military status, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws. Ouster also strides for a healthy and safe workplace, and prohibits harassment of any kind. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Ouster considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.