Mechanical Engineer, Robotics San Francisco Bay Area

TAR; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

TAR is building the world’s first off-grid power plant for data centers, based in San Francisco. We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to own hardware end-to-end—from early CAD concepts to fabrication handoff and field deployment at scale.

As a mid-to-senior level individual contributor, you’ll design deployment machines, select actuation components, and ensure manufacturability for a fleet-ready solution in challenging environments across West Texas field sites.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of mechanical design on robotic or electromechanical systems (rapid iteration).
• Track record taking machines from CAD to field-deployed hardware.
• Proficiency in SolidWorks with GD&T and tolerance analysis.

Responsibilities

• Design the mechanical architecture of deployment machines (chassis, drivetrains, booms, end effectors).
• Select motors, gears, bearings; perform tolerance stack-ups for proper fit and function.
• Create CAD drawings through to vendor handoff and manufacturing support.
• Engineer for harsh environments (dust, heat, wind, vibration) and field reliability.
• Run structural/thermal simulations (FEA) to validate designs before fabrication.
• Build and test prototypes, iterate designs based on test results.
• Own vendor relationships and plan production from prototype to fleet.

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD modeling

GD&T

Tolerance analysis

Kinematics

Actuation design

Vendor coordination

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

TAR’s mission is to power intelligence for the world. We are building the world’s first off-grid power plant for data centers powered by renewable technologies.

We firmly believe AI should be built in the US for the benefit of all people. For that, power must be fast, clean and scalable. We are singularly focused on delivering GW-scale power faster than anyone has ever done, by rethinking every layer of the stack.

We vertically integrate to solve every bottleneck, from racking systems to power electronics to dispatch algorithms to on-site construction.

Leave your mark on the future of civilization-scale energy infrastructure.

Company

TAR is both a hardware and software company, we are building out massive, critical, physical infrastructure. TAR is working directly with one of the largest compute providers to scale and deploy 5GWs by 2028.

• High ownership. High Agency. Own project end-to-end. Great people don’t need to be managed.
• Speed. We achieve great things on incredible timelines. We push ourselves to go faster.
• First principles. No ego. No hierarchy. Challenge every assumption.
• Passion. Solving the energy problem is one of the largest challenges that faces the world now and in the future.

About the role

As the Mechanical Engineer you own hardware end to end: early CAD concepts, detailed drawings, material choices, manufacturability, and the handoff to fabrication partners, then you take machines from first prototype to a fleet the site can rely on. This is a mid to senior level individual contributor role based at our San Francisco robotics facility, with regular field time at our GW-scale campus in West Texas.

Responsibilities

• Design the mechanical architecture of deployment machines: chassis, drivetrains, booms, manipulators, and end effectors that pick, place, and fasten multi-hundred-pound energy assets.
• Design custom mechanisms and actuation: kinematics and linkage design, motor and gearbox selection, bearing and joint design, and the tolerance stack-ups that determine whether a module lands where it should.
• Take parts from CAD through detailed drawings and GD&T, material selection, and design for manufacturing to vendor handoff.
• Engineer for the West Texas environment: heat, dust and particulate ingress, wind loading, vibration over rough terrain, and long intervals between service visits.
• Run structural and mechanical simulation (FEA, load cases, fatigue) to size structures and validate designs before cutting metal.
• Build and test prototypes hands-on: instrument them, run them to failure, and fold what you learn into the next revision.
• Own vendor relationships and production planning, and drive machines from one-off prototype to a repeatable fleet build.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of mechanical design experience on robotic or electromechanical systems
• Track record taking machines from CAD to working, field-deployed hardware in a rapid-iteration environment such as robotics, industrial automation, construction equipment, drones, defense, or an elite hardware startup.
• Deep CAD and 3D modeling proficiency (Solidworks or similar), with fluency in GD&T and tolerance analysis.
• Strong mechanism and actuation design: kinematics, linkages, gearing, motor sizing, joint and bearing design.
• Materials, fabrication, and DFM expertise across steel, aluminum, and machined and fabricated parts.
• High ownership, bias for speed, and comfort with ambiguity.

Nice to have

• Heavy equipment, construction, agricultural, or mining machinery design.
• Hydraulics, pneumatics, or other high-force actuation.
• Sealing, ingress protection, and thermal design for outdoor equipment.