Mechatronics Engineer

Menlo; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Menlo Research in San Francisco is seeking a Mechatronics Engineer to design and develop the systems that make Asimov move. You’ll work at the intersection of mechanical, electrical, and control engineering, taking subsystems from concept to working hardware on a real robot.

This hands-on role demands CAD proficiency, experience taking hardware from prototype to production-ready, and strong collaboration with controls and software teams in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent hands-on background in mechatronics, mechanical, electrical, or robotics engineering.
• CAD proficiency and experience with CAD tools.
• Experience taking hardware from concept through prototype to working system.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechatronic subsystems: actuators, joints, drivetrains, and sensor integration.
• Prototype rapidly, then test, characterize, and iterate toward production-ready hardware.
• Model and analyze mechanical designs for load, tolerance, and structural integrity.
• Bring up and debug systems across mechanical, electrical, and firmware layers.
• Work closely with controls, software, and hardware teams to close the loop from design to motion.
• Document designs, test results, and decisions clearly, tied to tickets or Linear workflows.
• Own subsystems end to end, from first sketch to working hardware on the robot.

Skills

Mechatronics

CAD proficiency

Hardware integration

Motor control

Sensor integration

Prototyping

Documentation

Education

Degree in mechatronics or robotics

Tools

CAN bus

CAD software

Job description

About Menlo

Menlo Research is an Applied R&D lab building Asimov, an open-source humanoid robot platform, and the full software stack that powers it. Our mission is to make humanoid labor economically viable, turning software into physical labor at scale. We build across the full stack: hardware architecture, locomotion, autonomy, simulation, and infrastructure. We move fast, ship to real robots, and open-source everything we can. If you want your work to matter beyond a paper or a demo, this is the place.

The Role

We are looking for a Mechatronics Engineer to design and develop the systems that make Asimov move. You will work at the intersection of mechanical, electrical, and control engineering, taking subsystems from concept to working hardware. This is hands-on R&D: designing actuator and joint assemblies, integrating motors, sensors, and control electronics, prototyping fast, and iterating until it works on a real robot.

What You’ll Do

• Design and develop mechatronic subsystems: actuators, joints, drivetrains, and sensor integration
• Select and integrate motors, encoders, sensors, and control electronics
• Prototype rapidly, then test, characterize, and iterate toward production-ready hardware
• Model and analyze mechanical designs for load, tolerance, and structural integrity
• Bring up and debug systems across mechanical, electrical, and firmware layers
• Work closely with controls, software, and hardware teams to close the loop from design to motion
• Document designs, test results, and decisions clearly, tied to tickets or Linear workflows
• Own subsystems end to end, from first sketch to working hardware on the robot

What We Look For

• Degree or equivalent hands-on background in mechatronics, mechanical, electrical, or robotics engineering
• Strong design skills across mechanical and electrical domains, with real CAD proficiency
• Experience taking hardware from concept through prototype to working system
• Confident with actuator selection, motor control, and sensor integration
• Comfortable reading and producing schematics, mechanical drawings, and system diagrams
• Fluent in iteration: build, test, characterize, refine
• Passionate about clean documentation and reproducible engineering

Nice to Have

• Experience designing for humanoid or legged robots
• Familiarity with CAN bus communication and protocol analysis
• Knowledge of torque specs, tolerance stacking, and structural integrity checks
• Firmware or embedded control experience
• Exposure to startup-paced product cycles

Why Join Menlo

You will be part of a tight-knit team defining the next generation of humanoid robots. With genuine ownership of the systems you design and the freedom to innovate, you will see your work come to life in real-world deployments. If you thrive in fast-paced, open, collaborative environments, let’s build the future of robotics together.

A Note on AI

You don’t need deep AI expertise for every role, but we do expect everyone at Menlo to be intellectually curious, drawn to tinkering and discovery, and excited to use AI as a real collaborator in their work. For some roles, AI fluency is a core requirement. When that’s the case, we’ll say so explicitly in the qualifications. People who thrive here don’t treat AI as a novelty. They use it to think better, and make their work easier for others to build on.

Equal Opportunity and Accommodations

We hire talented people from a wide range of backgrounds. If you’re excited about a role but don’t meet every bullet, we still encourage you to apply. Menlo Research is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected characteristic. Menlo provides reasonable accommodations during the application process. If you need one, please let your recruiter know.