Senior Mechanical Engineer, Robotics

AI Talent Now; City of Watertown (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

AI Talent Now in Watertown, MA is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer, Robotics to own major subsystems of advanced AI-powered robots Cassie and Sonny. This hands-on, fast-moving hardware role requires shipping real products from a dynamic robotics startup.

You will design parts and subsystems, prototype and test in a well-equipped shop, drive manufacturing considerations, and collaborate across hardware, software, and deployment teams with global vendor support.

Qualifications

• Experience taking hardware products through manufacturing and deployment to the field.
• BS or higher in Mechanical Engineering.
• Hands-on fabrication and rapid prototyping skills.
• Proficiency in CAD software (Onshape or equivalent).
• Ability to leverage AI tools in engineering workflow.
• Cross-functional collaboration across engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Design parts and full subsystems for robots deployed at customer sites across the US
• Build, prototype, and test robots hands-on in a well-equipped shop
• Drive design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA)
• Lead technical sourcing and work with vendors, including overseas manufacturers
• Collaborate across hardware, software, and deployment teams in a low-friction, high-ownership environment

Skills

Mechanical design

Prototype testing

DFM/ DFA

Manufacturing experience

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering

Hands-on fabrication & rapid prototyping

Tools

Onshape

3D printing

CNC milling

AI tools in engineering workflow

Job description

Watertown, United States | Posted on 11/13/2026

AI Talent Now, LLC is a powerhouse in direct-hire talent acquisition, connecting exceptional talent with industry-leading organizations across IT, Engineering, Financial Services & Fintech, and Manufacturing & Robotics. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, we proudly serve clients and candidates nationwide.

Job Description

AI Talent Now job # ZR 115 TI

Senior Mechanical Engineer, Robotics

Full-time

On-site

Watertown, MA

$150K - $220K

This dynamic company is a Series B robotics startup rethinking industrial automation with smarter robots, a radically better software stack, and a business model built for speed. Our core platform enables AI-powered robots-as-a-service with zero custom engineering and minimal deployment friction. That means we can drop into customer facilities at 10x lower cost and with 10x more flexibility than legacy players.

This company just closed a $75M Series B led by a16z

The hardware team grew from 2 to 14 engineers in the last year. It's likely to double or quadruple over the next couple quarters.

Robots are already deployed in customer sites across the US. That's rare for a robotics startup and it's where the real learning happens.

You’ll own big chunks of the product on frontier robots like Sonny (a semi-humanoid with near-human dexterity) and Cassie (an autonomous mobile robot for pallets and cases).

It’s a hands-on and low-friction shop with great equipment. You don't wait for permission and you won't sit at a computer all day.

We are looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer, Robotics with 3-10 years of experience to own major subsystems of our AI-powered robots, Cassie (pallet and case handling) and Sonny (semi-humanoid fine manipulation). We want a hands-on builder from a fast-moving hardware environment who has shipped real products to the field. Our hardware team grew from 2 to 14 engineers in the last year and may double or quadruple over the next few quarters.

What will you be doing?

• Design parts and full subsystems for robots deployed at customer sites across the US
• Build, prototype, and test robots hands-on in a well-equipped shop
• Drive design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA)
• Lead technical sourcing and work with vendors, including overseas manufacturers
• Collaborate across hardware, software, and deployment teams in a low-friction, high-ownership environment

Required Work experience:

• Experience taking hardware products through manufacturing and deployment to the field
• Experience designing electromechanical systems or robot hardware from prototype through manufacturing
• Ability to work on-site in Watertown, MA (5 days/week)

Seniority

• 3 - 10 years of experience as a mechanical engineer
• Experience owning complete subsystems or entire robotic systems

Education

• BS or higher in Mechanical Engineering, or related engineering field
• Hands-on fabrication and rapid prototyping skills (operating a mill, 3D printers, hand tools)
• Proficiency in CAD software (Onshape or equivalent CAD packages)
• Comfortable leveraging AI tools in the engineering workflow
• Cross-functional collaboration across engineering teams

Nice-to-have

• Experience at fast-paced hardware or robotics companies (Formlabs, Markforged, startups, or rapid-development labs)
• Experience working with overseas manufacturing vendors