Senior Mechanical Engineer San Francisco · San Francisco · →

Kovari; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kovari in San Francisco is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own mechanical subsystems of our robots end to end, from concept through production, including actuator selection, structure to drivetrain, linkages, and field-ready assembly.

You will design for manufacturing, run tests and analyses, build prototypes in our shop, mentor junior engineers, and collaborate with vendors to deliver reliable hardware for live operations.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant experience designing and shipping hardware.
• Strong mechanical fundamentals: material selection, GD&T, tolerance analysis, DFM.
• Track record owning actuated or mobile mechanisms from concept through production.
• CAD fluency in SolidWorks, Fusion, or Onshape.
• Hands-on fabrication: you've run a mill and lathe, bent sheet metal, and welded.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and working with manufacturers.
• A portfolio of hardware you've shipped or built in your own time.
• Bias toward action: prototype fast, test early, fix what breaks.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical architecture and subsystem design from concept through production: drivetrain, structure, actuation, linkages, enclosures.
• Select and integrate motors, gearboxes, bearings, and actuators, making tradeoffs across performance, reliability, cost, and manufacturability.
• Run load, stress, and tolerance analysis to size parts and predict failure.
• Build prototypes in our in-house shop (mill, lathe, welding, 3D printing, laser cutting).
• Design for manufacturing, assembly, serviceability, and field reliability, working closely with vendors and manufacturers.
• Debug mechanical failures on deployed robots and drive fixes back into the design.
• Mentor junior engineers and manage vendors for machined, sheet metal, and molded parts.

Skills

Experience with hardware design

Mechanical fundamentals

Actuated/mobile mechanisms

CAD fluency

Hands-on fabrication

Mentoring engineers

Portfolio of builds

Bias toward action

Tools

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

Onshape

Job description

About Kovari

Kovari develops frontier technology to transform physical businesses. We partner with established operators to change how they run, and we build and operate businesses of our own through our subsidiaries.

We are a small team of builders, operators, and researchers. We deploy on site, alongside the businesses we serve, and iterate in the field. We have raised over $6M from leading investors.

We are based in San Francisco and work in person.

The Role

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer, you will own mechanical subsystems of our robots end to end, from concept through production, including actuator selection and structure to drivetrain, linkages, and field-ready assembly. You make architecture and design tradeoffs, design it, machine it, assemble it, and fix it on robots running in live operations.

This is not a bench role. Your designs face real constraints: variable floors, tight corridors, elevator transitions, and duty cycles that push hardware hard.

What You'll Do

• Own mechanical architecture and subsystem design from concept through production: drivetrain, structure, actuation, linkages, enclosures

• Select and integrate motors, gearboxes, bearings, and actuators, making tradeoffs across performance, reliability, cost, and manufacturability

• Run load, stress, and tolerance analysis to size parts and predict failure

• Build prototypes in our in-house shop (mill, lathe, welding, 3D printing, laser cutting)

• Design for manufacturing, assembly, serviceability, and field reliability, working closely with vendors and manufacturers

• Debug mechanical failures on deployed robots and drive fixes back into the design

• Mentor junior engineers and manage vendors for machined, sheet metal, and molded parts

What You Bring

• 5+ years of relevant industry experience designing and shipping hardware

• Strong mechanical fundamentals: material selection, GD&T, tolerance analysis, DFM

• Track record owning actuated or mobile mechanisms from concept through production

• CAD fluency in SolidWorks, Fusion, or Onshape

• Hands-on fabrication: you've run a mill and lathe, bent sheet metal, and welded

• Experience making architecture and design tradeoffs, mentoring junior engineers, and working with manufacturers

• A track record of hardware you've shipped and a portfolio of things you've built on your own time

• Bias toward action: prototype fast, test early, fix what breaks

Values

• Pace of learning trumps everything.

• Relentless refinement of our craft.

• Low ego, high ownership.

• All-in on the mission. We work in person, and this isn't a 9-to-5.