Senior Mechanical Engineer

Bellwether Coffee; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Bellwether Coffee in Berkeley, CA is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead mechanical design efforts for critical subsystems, balancing customer experience with scalable manufacturing.

You will collaborate with Engineering, Operations, and Manufacturing to ensure performance, reliability, and cost-efficiency, while mentoring teammates and supporting production readiness. This role requires on-site presence at our Berkeley HQ.

Qualifications

• Experience taking products from design through manufacturing at scale.
• Strong fundamentals in statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of complex mechanical subsystems from concept through manufacturing.
• Define system architecture, component selection, and engineering tradeoffs to meet performance, reliability, and durability requirements.
• Create detailed CAD models, assemblies, and drawings with GD&T annotations.
• Design components for manufacturability, cost efficiency, scalability, and serviceability (DFM/DFA).
• Build and test prototypes to validate function and reliability.
• Develop engineering requirements, test plans, and documentation for product development and validation.
• Lead design reviews and coordinate with cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturing to ensure quality and on-time delivery.
• Identify opportunities for product improvement and cost reduction.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance.

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD proficiency

cross-functional collaboration

Prototyping & testing

DFM/DFA

Self-starter

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

OnShape

PDM/PLM

Job description

Role: Senior Mechanical Engineer

Department: Hardware Engineering

Reports To: Director of Hardware Engineering

Compensation Range: $140,000.00 - $180,000.00 annual salary

About Us

Headquartered in Berkeley, CA, Bellwether Coffee is working to positively transform the coffee industry by making coffee roasting more accessible and sustainable. Our revolutionary electric, ventless commercial coffee roaster does not require gas lines or expensive ventilation. It’s the most consistent and controllable roaster available, has the lowest carbon footprint of any commercial roaster ever made, and was designed by coffee people who want a better future. Our roasting platform allows Bellwether customers to easily and responsibly source green coffee from incredible coffee farms around the world, expertly roast using artisan-crafted roast profiles, and share fresh, delicious coffee!

About This Role

We’re seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer who is passionate about designing products that balance exceptional customer experience with scalable, reliable manufacturing. This role will own significant mechanical design efforts for critical sub-systems and collaborate cross functionally between Engineering, Operations, and Manufacturing teams. You’ll help ensure our products are not only engineered for performance and reliability, but also intuitive for customers, manufacturable at scale, and cost-efficient.

Job Location

The role requires on-site presence at Bellwether’s Berkeley HQ.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of complex mechanical subsystems from concept through manufacturing.
• Define system architecture, component selection, and engineering tradeoffs to meet product performance, reliability, and durability requirements.
• Create detailed CAD models, assemblies, and drawings with appropriate GD&T annotations.
• Design components and systems optimized for manufacturability, cost efficiency, scalability, and serviceability (DFM/DFA).
• Build and test prototypes to validate function, reliability, user interaction, and manufacturability.
• Develop engineering requirements, test plans, and documentation to support product development and validation.
• Lead and participate in design reviews, including concept reviews, PDRs, CDRs, and production readiness reviews.
• Work closely with suppliers, fabricators, and manufacturing to ensure designs meet quality standards and are delivered on schedule.
• Identify opportunities for product improvement, cost reduction, and manufacturing optimization.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, firmware, software, product, industrial design, operations, and supply chain teams to ensure successful product integration and launch.
• Troubleshoot complex hardware issues and implement robust engineering solutions.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers as needed.
• Willingness to travel overseas (Southeast Asia)

Qualifications

• Experience taking products from design through manufacturing at scale, with a strong emphasis on delivering a high-quality customer experience.
• 7+ years of relevant industry experience in consumer products, appliances, or electro-mechanical systems
• Proficiency with CAD tools (OnShape experience preferred; PDM or PLM experience preferred).
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent experience), with strong fundamentals in statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics/dynamics.
• Proven experience with a range of manufacturing processes (sheet metal, CNC machining, plastics, welding, die-casting, etc.)
• Demonstrated expertise in Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and mechanism design
• Experience collaborating with industrial designers and human factors teams to deliver consumer-grade user experiences
• Hands-on prototyping and lab testing skills
• Strong communicator and collaborator, comfortable working across cross-functional teams
• Self-starter and operates with urgency
• Takes ownership and embraces accountability with the ability to manage tasks with minimal supervision
• Authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, medical condition, veteran status, or any other class protected by local, state or federal law.