Rapid Prototyping Engineer

Tacit

San Francisco (CA)

On-site

USD 95,000 - 140,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Competitive equity package

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vis

Unlimited PTO

Visa sponsorship

4% 401k matching

Job summary

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics Engineering or related field.
2+ years of prototyping/R&D hardware development experience.
Experience taking hardware from concept through pre-production (NPI/NTI).
Proficient in CAD and 3D modeling with strong drafting skills.
Working knowledge of PCB design, soldering, wiring, schematics, and sensor integration.
Hands-on ability to build and troubleshoot electromechanical systems.
Experience with rapid prototyping methods (3D printing, laser cutting, CNC).
Experience designing assembly/test fixtures and tooling from scratch.
Excellent project management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Strong communication and problem-solving in ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

Rapidly design and fabricate mechanical, electrical, and sensor prototypes for wearable devices.
Build end-to-end prototype systems from sketches to CAD, fabrication, wiring, and validation.
Develop quick-turn PCBs, flex circuits, wiring harnesses, and cable assemblies.
Hands-on soldering and assembly of electrical components including delicate flex work.
Evaluate and select sensors, actuators, and off-the-shelf components for prototypes.
Design, build, and iterate on assembly/test fixtures, jigs, and tooling to improve build quality and efficiency.
Collaborate with engineers to integrate hardware with control systems and test software.
Support NPI/NTI/R&D efforts as products move toward production intent.
Document designs, build procedures, and test results for knowledge transfer.

Skills

Prototyping

CAD design

PCB design

Soldering

DFM/DFA feedback

Cross-functional collaboration

Python scripting

RF components familiarity

Electromechanical troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Mechatronics Engineering

Tools

Onshape

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

Job description

About Tacit

We are an early-stage, deep tech startup based in San Francisco, developing innovative hardware that rethinks human-computer interaction. We are backed by General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, and Greylock Partners, with a founding team from Stanford, BrainGate, Oculus, and Tesla. While we can’t reveal too much just yet, our team is tackling cutting-edge engineering challenges to bring revolutionary products to life.

About the role

We are looking for a Rapid Prototyping Engineer, an engineering generalist who sits at the intersection of R&D and hardware engineering. You'll work closely with our design, electrical, and sensing teams to rapidly design, build, and iterate on mechanical, electrical, and sensor prototypes for novel wearable devices — while also owning the assembly and test fixtures that make those prototypes buildable and repeatable.

This is a hands-on, builder-at-heart role for someone who thrives on ambiguity and enjoys turning a rough concept into a working, testable physical system. You'll be the person the hardware and research teams come to when something new needs to be designed, fixtured, built, and iterated on fast — and when successful, you'll turn those one-off builds into scalable, DFM-friendly processes that support our product ramp from NPI/NTI through production.

What you'll do

Prototyping & Build
- Rapidly design and fabricate mechanical, electrical, and sensor prototypes to support R&D experiments and engineering development for wearable and consumer-electronics form factors.
- Build end-to-end prototype systems: from concept sketches through CAD, fabrication, wiring, sensor/RF component integration, and validation.
- Develop quick-turn PCBs, flex circuits, wiring harnesses, and cable assemblies for prototype electronics.
- Hands-on soldering and assembly of electrical and sensing circuit components, including delicate flex and fine-pitch work.
- Evaluate and select sensors, actuators, and off-the-shelf components for integration into prototype systems.
Fixtures & Tooling
- Design, build, and iterate on assembly and test fixtures, jigs, and tooling from the ground up to support novel processes and ensure build quality and efficiency for complex devices and wearables.
- Partner with design engineers to provide DFM/DFA feedback and drive design iterations before problems reach production.
- Build fixtures that improve repeatability, cycle time, and debug visibility for both R&D builds and early manufacturing runs.
Debug, Troubleshooting & Iteration
- Perform hands-on assembly, troubleshooting, and debugging of electromechanical systems, isolating whether an issue is mechanical, electrical, or process-related.
- Identify and address failure modes specific to wearable hardware (fit, comfort, cable management, contact forces, thermal effects, wear over repeated use).
- Take initiative in driving design iterations, documenting findings, and proposing next steps with minimal supervision.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Collaborate with electrical, RF, mechanical, and firmware engineers to integrate hardware with control systems and test software.
- Support NPI/NTI/R&D efforts, working closely with design and validation teams as products move from early prototype toward production intent.
- Communicate build status, design risks, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-specialist audiences.
- Document designs, build procedures, and test results to support knowledge transfer and continuous design improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related field.
2+ years of experience in prototyping, R&D engineering, or hardware development, ideally in wearables, consumer electronics, robotics, or research lab environments.
Required experience with NPI/NTI/R&D processes, taking hardware from early concept through pre-production.
Proficiency in CAD software (Onshape, SolidWorks, or Fusion 360) with strong 3D modeling and drafting skills.
Working knowledge of PCB design and electronics, and comfort with soldering electrical and RF circuit components, wiring, reading schematics, and integrating sensors.
Hands-on ability to build and troubleshoot electromechanical systems.
Hands-on expertise with rapid prototyping methods: 3D printing (FDM/SLA), laser cutting, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and manual machining.
Demonstrated experience designing and building assembly and test fixtures, jigs, and tooling from scratch.
Excellent project management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Strong track record of troubleshooting, debugging, and iterating on designs independently.
A builder at heart: someone who takes initiative, brings creativity and problem-solving to ambiguous challenges, and can work with minimal supervision.
Excellent communication skills and comfort operating in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment where requirements evolve quickly.

Strong candidates may have

Familiarity with wearable or consumer-electronics form factors and the constraints of designing for comfort, fit, and durability against the body.
Experience with RF or antenna hardware integration and the fixturing challenges specific to RF test and assembly.
Basic scripting ability (Python) for test automation, data collection, or hardware interfacing.
Experience supporting builds across EVT, DVT, and PVT stages with contract manufacturers

Success in This Role Looks Like

Research and design concepts are rapidly and reliably turned into working physical prototypes.
Assembly and test fixtures enable consistent, repeatable builds across R&D and early production runs.
DFM/DFA feedback delivered early prevents costly design iterations downstream.
Cross-functional teams have a trusted go-to person for hands-on build, debug, and fixture needs.
Prototype learnings and fixture designs translate smoothly into scalable production processes.

Benefits