Senior Mechanical Engineer – Robotics & Mechatronics

Calder Search; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

On-site work

Job summary

Calder Search is seeking Mechanical Engineers for hands-on hardware roles in the San Francisco Bay Area. You’ll design, build, test and ship complex mechanical or electromechanical systems for real-world robotics applications.

You'll work across mech, mechatronics, controls and software teams, owning the hardware from initial concept through production. This on-site role offers substantial equity and a path to senior levels in venture-backed robotics groups.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience designing and building complex mechanical or electromechanical hardware.
• Ability to design, test and ship hardware from concept to production.
• Experience with precision mechanisms and motion systems.
• Proficiency in tolerance analysis and GD&T.

Responsibilities

• Design mechanical and mechatronic subsystems.
• Develop precision mechanisms, motion systems, and actuation.
• Select and integrate motors, sensors, actuators, bearings.
• Apply CAD, tolerancing, GD&T and detailed design.
• Perform first-principles calculations and FEA.
• Prototype rapidly with CNC machining and 3D printing.
• Hardware integration, testing, debugging, and ramp to production.
• Collaborate with electrical, controls, software, and robotics engineers.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Mechatronics

CAD

GD&T

FEA

Rapid prototyping

Tools

CAD software

FEA tools

Job description

Mechanical Engineer – Robotics & Mechatronics

San Francisco Bay Area | $150k–$250k + Equity | On-site

Calder Search is working with several well-funded, high-growth robotics and physical AI companies across the Bay Area, building complex autonomous and electromechanical systems for real-world applications.

We're looking for hands‑on Mechanical Engineers who want to design, build, test and ship real hardware - not spend their entire day sitting in CAD.

The work

Depending on your background, you'll be working across:

• Mechanical and mechatronic subsystem design
• Precision mechanisms, motion systems and actuation
• Motors, sensors, actuators, bearings and transmissions
• CAD, tolerance analysis, GD&T and detailed design
• First‑principles calculations and FEA
• Rapid prototyping, CNC machining and 3D printing
• Hardware integration, build, test and troubleshooting
• DFM, supplier collaboration and production ramp

You'll work closely with electrical, controls, software and robotics engineers and have genuine ownership from initial concept through physical hardware and production.

We're particularly interested in engineers from:

You don't need to tick every box.

What matters is that you've personally designed and built complex mechanical or electromechanical hardware and can talk confidently about the engineering decisions behind it.

The opportunity

Multiple positions from Mechanical Engineer through Senior Mechanical Engineer, with venture-backed teams across San Francisco and the wider Bay Area.

$150k–$250k base + equity

Predominantly on‑site roles due to the hands‑on nature of the work.

If you're a mechanical engineer who likes building things that actually move, I'd like to hear from you.