Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Watney; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Watney in San Francisco seeks a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to turn robotic automation concepts into production-ready systems for data center hardware. You will design fixtures, tooling, and mechatronic equipment, moving from customer requirements to prototypes and production-ready solutions.

You will collaborate with robotics, controls, electrical, and software teams, develop processes for assembly and cable management, and troubleshoot issues during development and ramp.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
• Experience launching high-volume hardware products and manufacturing processes.
• Hands-on mechanical design with production hardware, tooling, fixtures, or automation equipment.
• Experience taking designs from prototype through production ramp.

Responsibilities

• Design fixtures, tooling, mechanisms, and mechatronic equipment for robotic rack assembly.
• Develop concepts to automate manufacturing and assembly processes to production.
• Make engineering tradeoffs and deliver working hardware under tight schedules.
• Develop automated processes for fiber-optic cable assembly, routing, handling, and cable management.
• Design mechanical components and assemblies including machined, sheet metal, plastic, and 3D printed parts.
• Develop manufacturing processes, production flows, and work instructions.
• Work with robotics, controls, electrical, and software engineers to integrate equipment.
• Work with customers to translate requirements into actionable solutions.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, robotics, and manufacturing issues during development and ramp.

Skills

Mechanical design

Mechatronics

Hardware prototyping

Robotics integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Our Mission

Expand human ambition in the physical world.

Critical infrastructure is constrained by labor shortages, hazardous working conditions, and operational complexity. Watney builds and deploys autonomous robotic systems that increase the speed and capacity of buildout, starting with data centers.

About the Role

At Watney, Senior Manufacturing Engineers turn robotic automation concepts into production-ready manufacturing systems.

This is a hands-on, fast-moving engineering role focused on automating the assembly of data center racks and related hardware. You will be expected to move quickly from customer requirements and early concepts to working prototypes and production-ready solutions. You will design fixtures, tooling, mechatronic equipment, and manufacturing processes; develop automation concepts; and work directly with customers to turn urgent manufacturing needs into practical solutions.

What You'll Do

• Design fixtures, tooling, mechanisms, and mechatronic equipment to enable robotic assembly of data center racks and related hardware.

• Develop innovative concepts to automate manufacturing and assembly processes, moving rapidly from concept and prototype through production deployment.

• Make sound engineering tradeoffs and deliver working hardware against aggressive customer and production schedules.

• Develop automated processes and equipment for fiber-optic cable assembly, routing, handling, and cable management.

• Design mechanical components and assemblies including machined, sheet metal, plastic, and 3D printed parts.

• Develop manufacturing processes, production flows, and work instructions for new and automated production lines.

• Work closely with robotics, controls, electrical, and software engineers to integrate mechanical equipment into complete robotic systems.

• Work directly with customers to understand their products and manufacturing challenges and translate requirements into actionable engineering solutions.

• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, robotics, and manufacturing issues during development and production ramp.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.

• Experience designing and launching high-volume hardware products and manufacturing processes.

• Strong hands‑on mechanical design experience with production hardware, tooling, fixtures, or automation equipment.

• Experience working with manufacturing teams to take designs from prototype through production ramp.

You May Be A Good Fit If You

• Are a hands‑on mechanical or mechatronics engineer who likes to design, build, test, and debug hardware.

• Understand how data center racks, servers, cable systems, and related hardware are designed and assembled.

• Have strong mechanical design skills and experience with mechanisms, motors, actuators, sensors, plastics, machined parts, sheet metal, and cable management.

• Understand robotic systems and design for automation, including fixtures, tooling, end effectors, and the practical requirements for reliable robotic assembly.

• Can look at a manual manufacturing operation and develop creative, practical ways to automate it.

• Have experience taking manufacturing equipment or processes from concept through production deployment.

• Thrive in a startup environment where priorities move quickly, schedules are aggressive, and engineers are expected to take ownership and get hardware working.

• Can communicate directly with customers and turn loosely defined manufacturing problems into working hardware and production processes.

We’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive team. At Watney Robotics, we welcome people of all backgrounds and identities, and we make hiring decisions based on skills, experience, and potential. If you’re passionate about robotics but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply!