Senior Mechanical Engineer

Artly; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 paid vacation days

10 paid holidays

Sick leave

Medical, dental and vision

Job summary

Artly AI in Seattle is seeking a senior mechanical engineer to turn the robotic Barista into a durable, field‑reliable product. You will own mechanical design, test improvements, and transfer to production across inter‑disciplinary teams including robotics, electrical, controls, software, and manufacturing.

You will visit operating locations, perform field diagnosis and repairs, and turn learnings into durable product improvements while traveling to deployed sites as needed.

Qualifications

• Typically 5+ years of relevant mechanical product‑development experience with ownership from design to field deployment.
• Strong 3D CAD and drawing skills including GD&T and tolerancing.
• Proficiency in Fusion, SolidWorks, Creo or comparable tools in a Fusion‑based design environment.

Responsibilities

• Create and improve mechanisms, grippers, dispensers, and service access; evaluate concepts for performance, reliability, cost and maintainability.
• Improve fluid, pump, valve, seal and refrigeration interfaces for robustness and food‑safe materials compatibility.
• Own production‑ready mechanical definitions: CAD assemblies, drawings, GD&T, BOMs, tolerances and fastener specs.
• Apply DFMA, fixtures, supplier qualification, and production ramp support in daily work.
• Validate complete systems with fixtures, acceptance criteria, and cross‑functional collaboration with controls/software.

Skills

5+ years mechanical product‑dev

3D CAD & drawings

Fusion / SolidWorks / Creo

electromechanical hardware

field service experience

Education

Bachelor's in mechanical engineering

Mechatronics background

Tools

Fusion

SolidWorks

Creo

Job description

Robot Barista Productization & Field Reliability

Artly AI | Seattle, Washington | Full-time | Primarily onsite

About Artly

Artly builds robotic baristas that bring specialty coffee craftsmanship into everyday commercial environments. Our Barista Bot integrates robotic manipulation with espresso preparation, milk and syrup dispensing, refrigeration, cup handling, automated cleaning, and latte art. We are advancing the mechanical systems that make consistent drinks possible through repeated use, cleaning, transportation, and service.

The opportunity

We are looking for a senior, hands‑on mechanical engineer to help turn our robot barista into a product that is dependable in the field, repeatable to manufacture, and straightforward to maintain. You will propose original design improvements, build and test them, and own their transfer into production and deployed machines.

This is a senior individual contributor role with substantial mechanical design ownership. You will work closely with robotics, electrical, controls, software, manufacturing, operations, and suppliers. You will also visit operating locations, perform field diagnosis and repairs, and turn what you learn into durable product improvements.

What you will own

• Create better mechanisms and assemblies. Develop and improve grippers, tool couplers, cup dispensers, latte‑art mechanisms, steam‑wand and portafilter‑cleaning mechanisms, chassis, equipment mounts, covers, and service access. Compare design concepts using measured performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and maintainability.
• Make the fluid and refrigeration interfaces robust. Improve pumps, valves, seals, tubing, nozzles, purge and rinse paths, drainage, and refrigerator integration. Address leaks, clogging, wear, thermal performance, and cleaning compatibility with food‑safe materials and accessible, cleanable construction.
• Own production‑ready mechanical definition. Create CAD assemblies, engineering drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), tolerance stack‑ups, material and finish specifications, fastener and torque requirements, and controlled bills of materials.
• Bring proven manufacturing practices into daily work. Apply design for manufacture, assembly, and service; develop assembly fixtures and inspection methods; qualify suppliers and first articles; manage engineering changes and approved substitutions; and support pilot builds and production ramp.
• Validate complete systems. Build fixtures and define measurable acceptance criteria for mechanism life, grip consistency, dispensing, leakage, drainage, thermal behavior, cleaning exposure, vibration, and transport. Partner with controls and software engineers to distinguish mechanical failures from calibration, sensing, or control problems.
• Improve integration and safety. Design reliable tube and cable routing, strain relief, connector retention, sensor mounts, and separation of wet and electrical areas. Work with specialists on guarding, interlocks, safe service access, and NSF sanitation and UL/ETL electrical‑safety evaluation.
• Support machines where they operate. Travel to deployed locations for diagnosis, hands‑on repairs, installations, and retrofit validation. Document findings, coordinate safe return to service with operations, and create service procedures, spare‑parts kits, and technician training.
• Close the loop on field failures. Use service records, returned parts, operating data, and controlled experiments to identify root causes. Prioritize recurring problems, verify corrective actions, and track results by machine revision and component lot.

What you bring

• Typically 5+ years of relevant mechanical product‑development experience, or equivalent demonstrated responsibility, including ownership of electromechanical hardware through design, validation, manufacturing release, and support after customer deployment.
• A record of original mechanical design work and successful production improvements. You can explain the trade‑offs you made, how you validated the design, and what changed in manufacturing or field performance.
• Strong 3D CAD and drawing skills, including datums, GD&T, tolerance analysis, materials, fits, fasteners, and wear. Proficiency in Fusion, SolidWorks, Creo, or comparable tools, with the ability to work in our Fusion‑based design environment.
• Practical experience with mechanisms and actuators, plus fluid handling, pneumatics, dispensing, or commercial appliance integration. Confidence in building, inspecting, measuring, disassembling, and troubleshooting physical equipment.
• Experience designing machined and sheet‑metal parts and choosing suitable fabrication processes. Ability to work with vendors on tolerances, finishes, quality, lead times, cost, and assembly consistency.
• Experience with structured root‑cause analysis, failure‑mode and effects analysis (FMEA), design verification, endurance tests, and corrective actions. You establish pass/fail criteria and use evidence to decide when a change is ready.
• Working knowledge of sensors, motors, solenoids, wiring, and electrical schematics sufficient to diagnose interfaces and collaborate with electrical and controls engineers.
• Clear documentation and communication with technicians, suppliers, engineers, and store teams. Ability to work primarily onsite in Seattle and travel for field service and deployment support.
• A degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience that would be especially useful

• Commercial coffee or beverage equipment, food‑service automation, laboratory instruments, packaging machinery, or other equipment used repeatedly in customer environments.
• Hygienic design, food‑contact materials, elastomers and seals, corrosion resistance, cleaning‑chemical compatibility, refrigeration interfaces, and NSF certification work.
• Robot end effectors, compliant gripping, pneumatic systems, load cells, precision dispensing, dynamic cable routing, and mechanical calibration datums.
• New product introduction, contract manufacturing, supplier quality, first‑article inspection, production test development, and field retrofit programs.
• Machine risk assessments and collaboration with safety engineers or certification laboratories; thermal or structural analysis; test automation and data analysis using Python or similar tools.

Your first 90 days

First 30 days: Learn the machine, observe builds and service visits, and establish a prioritized failure and service‑cost baseline. Identify the highest‑impact mechanical design and production gaps with the team.

Days 31-60: Reproduce selected failures, compare design options, prototype improvements, and establish validation plans. Produce the drawings, supplier requirements, fixtures, and service procedures needed for pilot builds.

Days 61-90: Pilot validated changes on representative machines and release appropriate production or retrofit packages. Demonstrate early measured results and maintain longer‑duration testing where needed.

Success means fewer hardware interruptions and repeat failures, shorter repair and assembly times, better production first‑pass yield, and consistent drink quality. Targets will be agreed from the baseline and tracked alongside sanitation and safety acceptance.

Location and travel

This role is based primarily onsite in Seattle. Candidates should be based in the Seattle area or able to relocate. Expect local site visits and periodic overnight travel to operating locations and manufacturing partners for repairs, installations, and validation. Travel frequency, service coverage, and any occasional off‑hours support expectations will be agreed upon during hiring.

The work includes hands‑on assembly, inspection, testing, and safe use of tools around moving mechanisms, heated equipment, and fluids. Reasonable accommodations are available.

Compensation and benefits

• Annual base salary: $110,000-$150,000 USD, depending on relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.
• 20 paid vacation days per year.
• 10 paid holidays per year.
• Separate paid sick leave.
• Medical, dental and vision coverage.

Please indicate your availability to work onsite in Seattle and travel. Artly evaluates candidates on job‑related skills and experience, provides equal employment opportunity, and offers reasonable accommodations during hiring and employment.

Learn more about Artly AI: https://artly.ai