Founding Mechanical Engineer (Robotic Systems)
Founding Mechanical Engineer (Robotic Systems) at General Astronautics — San Francisco, CA, US
- Company: General Astronautics
- Location: San Francisco, CA, US
- Employment type: FULL_TIME
- Salary: USD 120000–180000 / year
- Posted: 2026-07-17
About this role
General Astronautics is building autonomous dexterous robotic arms for microgravity environments. Our systems enable orbital science and manufacturing that isn't possible on Earth, and we're doing it without humans in the loop. We're looking for a Founding Mechanical Engineer to own the design and development of our robotic arm from concept through flight-ready hardware. This is a high-ownership, high-accountability role. You will be one of the first engineers at the company, and the hardware you build will fly.
Responsibilities
Lead architecture, design, development, and test of a robotic arm for autonomous microgravity operations
Own hardware from concept through detailed design, prototyping, qualification, integration, and deployment
Design precision mechanisms, joints, end effectors, actuator interfaces, and electromechanical assemblies optimized for vacuum, vibration, thermal cycling, and microgravity
Perform trade studies across mass, stiffness, reach, payload, repeatability, thermal performance, manufacturability, reliability, and cost
Generate 3D CAD, 2D drawings, release packages, interface definitions, and technical documentation
Perform hand calculations, tolerance analyses, and FEA to validate component and subsystem designs
Define requirements, loads, interfaces, error budgets, and verification plans at component, subsystem, and system levels
Build and test prototypes, analyze failures, and drive root-cause resolution and design iteration
Work cross-functionally with controls, autonomy, software, avionics, and manufacturing to deliver an integrated flight system
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline
2+ years of experience designing, building, analyzing, and testing complex mechanical or electromechanical hardware
Proficiency in professional CAD software (NX, CATIA, Creo, SolidWorks, or equivalent)
Strong fundamentals in machine design, structural sizing, mechanism design, and electromechanical integration
Experience with hand calculations, tolerance analysis, and FEA
Proficiency with GD&T and engineering drawing standards (ASME Y14.5)
Hands-on experience building, debugging, and testing hardware
Preferred Skills and Experience
Experience with robotic arms, manipulators, precision mechanisms, deployables, or other articulated hardware
Experience designing mechanisms for space, vacuum, or other harsh environments, thermal qualification, vibration, contamination control
Experience integrating motors, encoders, controllers, PCBAs, and harnessing into mechanical assemblies
Background in aerospace, defense, semiconductor equipment, or medical devices
Experience with requirements verification, formal hardware qualification, and V&V processes
Familiarity with PLM tools and configuration-managed hardware development
Experience transitioning hardware from prototype to flight production
ITAR / Citizenship Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.