Gradient Robotics
Senior Mechanical Engineer
$170K–$225K
San Francisco · On-site · Senior · Full-time · Posted Jul 22, 2026
- Experience
- 5+ years; the posting does not state alternatives.
About the job
Own the design, fabrication, assembly, and validation of precision mechanical subsystems for autonomous robots used in datacenter construction.
What you'll do
- Design and deliver mechanical subsystems, including precision motion and structural systems, from analysis through fabrication, assembly, and validation.
- Use first-principles analysis and trade studies to guide design decisions; leverage the in-house machine shop and technicians.
- Integrate mechanical designs with controls, firmware, and software at the system level.
What they ask for
- 5+ years designing precision electromechanical systems that shipped or were deployed.
- Deep competence in structural and precision design, including ball screws, rack-and-pinion, bearings, kinematic constraint, and tolerance stack-ups.
- Strong FEA and hand-calculation skills, plus hands-on machining experience.
- Able to work on-site in San Francisco 5 days/week (6 days/week if needed during crunch time).
Nice to have
- Experience at a robotics, aerospace, or automotive company shipping precision hardware.
- Experience taking a subsystem from clean-sheet concept through deployment in the field; comfort using AI tools to multiply your own output.
Pay
$170K – $225K USD base salary
Tools
FEA
AI focus
The role involves comfort using AI tools to multiply one's own output; no specific AI development work is stated.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative