SF-Based Senior Mechanical Engineer - End-to-End Robotics

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

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.