Sr. Mechanical Engineer

Unlimit Ventures, LLC; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Unlimit Ventures, LLC seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the development of innovative mechatronic systems. You will design and bring to practice advanced solutions, balancing engineering depth with entrepreneurial business needs.

This contract-to-hire role offers exposure to a range of new ventures and products the team will launch with pride. The position emphasizes leadership, rapid prototyping, and collaboration across engineering disciplines to deliver robust, manufacturable

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years of applied experience in mechanical/mechatronic system development.
• Rapid prototyping and iterative product development experience.
• Experience with mechanical structures (weldments, sheet metal, extrusions, CNC) for industrial products.
• Experience developing actuated kinematic systems from concept to prototype.
• Experience with FEA/CFD/surfacing.
• Ability to perform tolerance analysis to ensure assembly performance.
• Hands-on fabrication, assembly and maintenance of complex mechanical systems.
• Knowledge of Geometric Tolerancing ASME Y14.5, DFM/DFA, coatings & finishing standards.
• Experience with a range of manufacturing processes for low/high volume production.
• Ability to identify technical risks early and design for fault tolerance, reliability.

Responsibilities

• Lead diverse technical teams in the development of mechatronic systems.
• Generate novel concepts for mechatronic system architectures.
• Execute component selection including sensors, actuators, controllers and relevant parts.
• Architect structures and mechanisms for varying loads and duty cycles.
• Develop systems meeting use-case, technical, operational, manufacturing, cost and schedule needs.
• Prepare budgets, cost estimations and margin of safety analyses.
• Perform thermal and structural analyses to enable rapid virtual prototyping.
• Package mechanical components efficiently with good design.
• Develop test plans and perform hardware integration, testing, debugging and validation.
• Compile data, perform trade studies and present findings.
• Create part and assembly drawings with supporting calculations.
• Estimate labor and material costs for mechanical systems budgets.

Skills

Project management

Mentoring

Customer interfacing

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's or higher in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Python

C++

C

FEA

CFD

CAD tools

Job description

Role Summary

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer at Unlimit Ventures, you will apply your skills in electrical‑mechanical engineering and mechatronics systems to a variety of new products as they are prepared for market launch. You will design, and reduce to practice, innovative solutions driven by depth of knowledge as an engineer while also delivering engineered solutions that meet business and market needs as an entrepreneur. Dedication and determination as a member of the Unlimit Ventures team results in the opportunity to accelerate your career within the new ventures being launched and experience developing many different products you will be proud of for years to come.

Job Type: Contract-to-Hire

Values

• Prudent optimism …glass‑half‑full, with a dose of caution to challenge our assumptions.
• Intrinsic motivation …driven by autonomy, goal clarity and regular feedback.
• Commit to desired outcomes …define desired outcomes and achieve them vigorously.
• No egos, no jerks …no joke.

Responsibilities

• Lead diverse technical teams in the development of mechatronic systems
• Generate novel concepts for mechatronic system architectures
• Execute key component selection including sensors, actuators, controllers and any other relevant components
• Architect structures and mechanisms from low to high kinematic complexity and varying load and duty‑cycle for diverse applications
• Develop mechatronic systems that meet use‑case, technical, operational, manufacturing, cost and schedule requirements
• Prepare weight budgets, cost estimations and margin of safety analysis based on system requirements
• Prepare thermal and structural analysis of complex mechanical systems in a manner that supports rapid virtual prototyping
• Execute mechanical packaging of components with an eye for efficiency and design elegance
• Develop test plans and execute hardware integration, testing, debug and validation
• Compile data, prepare trade studies and present information in written and verbal form
• Design and prepare part and assembly drawings with supporting best practice calculations
• Develop mechanical system budgets including estimating labor, material, and any other relevant costs

Basic Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering and/or other relevant educational background
• 8+ years of applied experience successfully developing mechanical/mechatronic systems
• Demonstrated rapid prototyping and iterative product development experience
• Experience developing mechanical structures (weldments, sheet metal, extrusions, CNC components, materials selection) for industrial products
• Experience developing actuated kinematic systems from concept to working prototype
• Experience with FEA, and/or CFD and/or surfacing
• Ability to perform tolerance analysis as required to ensure intended assembly performance
• Hands‑on experience with light fabrication, assembling and maintaining complex mechanical systems
• Advanced knowledge of Geometric Tolerancing ASME Y14.5, DFM (Design for Manufacturing), DFA (Design for Assembly), surface coatings & finishing standards
• Deep understanding and experience using a wide variety of manufacturing processes as they relate to low and high volume production
• Keen ability to identify and foresee technical risk, and engineering mindset of addressing risks early
• Ability to design for fault tolerance, reliability, and manufacturing
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation communication skills to levels above, below and in‑line

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience managing projects, mentoring other engineers, and interfacing with technical customers
• Demonstrated success developing hardware products for pilot customer launch
• Experience in one or more of the following industries: industrial robotics & automation, clean/renewable technologies, health & wellness technologies
• Experience delivering designs that meet and exceed product specifications, regulatory requirements, and international standards
• Experience using composites, and understanding and application of properties of materials
• Experience developing controls and state machine firmware with proven Python, C and/or C++ programming abilities

Unlimit Ventures is a venture studio that formulates, de‑risks and launches new companies. We are a diverse team of innovators, builders and entrepreneurs, developing advanced technologies for practical use in robotics & automation, climate impact, and health & wellness… to name a few.