Project Hydra | Hardware Technician - Robotics Lab

Welo Global; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

Welo Global is seeking a Hardware Lab Technician to own the physical side of a large-scale robot data collection operation in Santa Clara, CA. You will build, wire, and bring up data collection stations and maintain the fleet through routine calibrations and repairs.

The role requires 3+ years hands-on lab experience, CAD literacy, and Linux comfort. You will work on-end electronics, end-effectors, cameras, and harnesses, with on-site shifts and a 12-month contract with possible extension.

Qualifications

• 3+ years hands-on technician experience in a lab, prototyping, or low-volume build environment.
• AS in a technical field, a relevant trade or technical certificate, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Ability to read CAD and mechanical drawings (Onshape, SolidWorks, or similar).
• Electrical hands: soldering including basic SMD rework, crimping and connectorization, harness building, and confident use of a multimeter and oscilloscope.
• Comfortable in Linux at the command line — SSH into a workstation, run a calibration script, read a log, and tell us what it said.
• Experience with motors, encoders, and sensor integration, and understanding of bad grounds or marginal cables.
• Methodical and self‑documenting. An undocumented fix is a future outage.
• Able to work on-site in Santa Clara, with shift coverage flexibility.

Responsibilities

• Build, wire, and bring up data collection stations — robot arms, multi-camera rigs, workstations, teleoperation hardware, and cable management that survives daily operator use.
• Keep the fleet running: daily checks, preventive maintenance, calibration routines, and diagnosing faults on arms, hands, and sensors.
• Swap and integrate end‑effectors and grippers, dexterous hands, force/torque and tactile sensors, and RGB‑D cameras.
• Run calibration and firmware procedures across the fleet, and catch drift before it reaches the data.
• Assemble and iterate prototype hardware coming out of our mechanical and electrical engineers — printed parts, off‑the‑shelf components, vendor‑fabricated parts, and custom harnesses.
• Soldering, crimping, connectorization, harness building, and PCB rework support at the bench.
• Own the lab's physical state: spares and consumables inventory, parts kitting, bench and tool organization, and shipping, returns, and RMAs with vendors.
• Support teleoperators on hardware issues during live collection — triage fast, fix or elevate, and get the station back up.
• Document what you do. Build sheets, maintenance logs, calibration records, and hardware SOPs the next technician can follow.
• Help bring up new embodiments and new stations alongside engineers and researchers.

Skills

3+ years hands-on technician

CAD drawings literacy

Soldering & electrical harnessing

Linux command line

Motors, encoders, sensors integration

Documentation & self‑discipline

Adaptability under change

On-site in Santa Clara

Vendor RMAs & spares planning

Education

AS in technical field or trade/certificate

Equivalent hands-on experience

Tools

Onshape / SolidWorks

Multimeter

Oscilloscope

Python scripting

Job description

Role Overview

We are looking for a Hardware Lab Technician to own the physical side of a large-scale robot data collection operation. You’ll keep the fleet running, build what’s next, and be the person the lab calls when something stops working. This is a hands‑on role across research and low‑volume production where embodiments, grippers, and camera rigs change fast—and the hardware has to keep up. Day‑to‑day teleoperation is handled by a dedicated operator team you support; you maintain what they run on and help ensure data quality through reliable, well‑calibrated hardware.

Project Details

• Location: 100% Onsite (Santa Clara, CA, US)
• Employment: Full-time W-2
• Shifts: Monday–Friday, 7AM - 3:30PM or 9AM - 5:30PM
• Start Date: ASAP
• Contract Duration: 12-month contract with possibility of extension
• Rate: $40 per /hour

What You’ll Do

• Build, wire, and bring up data collection stations — robot arms, multi‑camera rigs, workstations, teleoperation hardware, and cable management that survives daily operator use.

• Keep the fleet running: daily checks, preventive maintenance, calibration routines, and diagnosing faults on arms, hands, and sensors.

• Swap and integrate end‑effectors and grippers, dexterous hands, force/torque and tactile sensors, and RGB‑D cameras.

• Run calibration and firmware procedures across the fleet, and catch drift before it reaches the data.

• Assemble and iterate prototype hardware coming out of our mechanical and electrical engineers — printed parts, off‑the‑shelf components, vendor‑fabricated parts, and custom harnesses.

• Soldering, crimping, connectorization, harness building, and PCB rework support at the bench.

• Own the lab's physical state: spares and consumables inventory, parts kitting, bench and tool organization, and shipping, returns, and RMAs with vendors.

• Support teleoperators on hardware issues during live collection — triage fast, fix or elevate, and get the station back up.

• Document what you do. Build sheets, maintenance logs, calibration records, and hardware SOPs the next technician can follow.

• Help bring up new embodiments and new stations alongside engineers and researchers.

What we need to see

• 3+ years hands‑on technician experience in a lab, prototyping, or low‑volume build environment — robotics, medical devices, aerospace, semiconductor equipment, or similar.

• AS in a technical field, a relevant trade or technical certificate, or equivalent hands‑on experience.

• Mechanical assembly fundamentals: fasteners and torque, bearings, belts, linkages, and the ability to read CAD and mechanical drawings (Onshape, SolidWorks, or similar).

• Electrical hands: soldering including basic SMD rework, crimping and connectorization, harness building, and confident use of a multimeter and oscilloscope.

• Comfortable in Linux at the command line — SSH into a workstation, run a calibration script, read a log, and tell us what it said.

• Experience with motors, encoders, and sensor integration, and an understanding of what a bad ground or a marginal cable does to a data stream.

• Methodical and self‑documenting. An undocumented fix is a future outage.

• Comfortable with ambiguity and frequent change, and able to prioritize when more than one lab needs you at the same time.

• Able to work on‑site in Santa Clara, with flexibility on shift coverage as the labs run extended hours.

Ways to stand out from the crowd

• Humanoid or bimanual platforms (Unitree, Fourier, ALOHA/ARX‑class rigs) and dexterous hands.

• Maintenance and calibration on collaborative or industrial arms — UR, Franka, xArm, ARX, or equivalent.

• Multi‑camera rig build and calibration; RealSense, ZED, or Orbbec‑class depth cameras.

• Running and maintaining FDM or SLA printers, and designing your own simple fixtures and adapters.

• Light scripting in Python or bash to automate a repetitive bench or calibration task.

• Experience in a high‑throughput lab or production line where uptime or yield was a number someone tracked.

• Vendor‑facing experience: RMAs, lead times, and spares planning.

Job reference: #L1-CC1

$40 - $40 an hour

Because the name of the person hired must be verified for work authorization as required by federal law (I‑9 process), all new employees must complete a live video verification with their selected IDs and provide photos of these selected IDs within their first 3 days of employment.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. In addition, we employ anti‑fraud checks to ensure all candidates meet the requirements of the program.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.