Founding Fabrication Technician

About this role

This is a full-time, in-office role building real robots that operate in messy, real-world road environments. If you love turning half-baked ideas into rugged hardware, thrive in early-stage chaos, and want your work deployed in the field, not stuck in CAD, this role is for you. Key Responsibilities Build and iterate on early-stage robotic systems designed for unstructured outdoor environments Fabricate custom robot components using CNC machining, welding, 3D printing, and manual machining Work hands-on with metal and plastic fabrication (aluminum, steel, composites, polymers, etc.) Rapidly prototype, assemble, modify, and repair robot hardware in support of aggressive field testing Collaborate closely with EE and CS teams to integrate mechanical systems with electronics, sensors, and compute Own mechanical builds from concept through deployment, including tolerancing, fixturing, and assembly Troubleshoot mechanical failures in the field and redesign for durability, reliability, and serviceability Improve manufacturability and repeatability of designs as systems mature Help define and build out the company’s fabrication processes, tooling, and workshop capabilities Move fast, make tradeoffs, and get hardware working under real constraints of time, cost, and environment Qualifications Proven experience building robots or complex electromechanical systems at early-stage startups Strong hands-on experience with: CNC machining (mills and/or lathes) Welding (MIG/TIG preferred) 3D printing (FDM/SLA) General metal and plastic fabrication Comfortable reading and working from CAD and engineering drawings Experience assembling systems that integrate motors, actuators, sensors, wiring, and enclosures Experience working cross-functionally with electrical and software engineers Ability to rapidly prototype, test, break, fix, and improve hardware in tight iteration loops Strong intuition for mechanical design tradeoffs: strength, weight, cost, tolerances, and reliability Comfortable operating in a fast-paced startup environment with incomplete information Self-directed, detail-oriented, and biased toward action Portfolios, photos of past builds, or examples of shipped hardware are highly encouraged.